Afghanistan

In ruins for nearly three decades, a former royal garden Chihilsitoon Garden in Afghanistan has been restored to its previous glory, opening as public recreation space with a host of distinct programmes. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has breathed new life and purpose into Chihilsitoon Garden. Beginning in early 2015, restoration of the garden was completed in 2018. Now restored to its former glory, Chihilsitoon Garden marks the largest rehabilitation project carried out to date by AKTC, which has completed over 140 restoration and landscaping projects across Afghanistan since 2002.

At a conference hosted by the KfW Development Bank in January in Berlin, participants discussed how lessons learned from almost two decades of crisis work in Afghanistan should apply to other fragile states. According to His Highness, there are three essential principles for working successfully in fragile regions: concentrate on the local level, consult with everyone involved and invest in private enterprises and civil-society organisations. "In fragile situations, it is easiest for donors to build trust and establish credibility at the local level," the Aga Khan said at the KfW event. The AKDN is an important partner of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and the KfW Development Bank in Afghanistan. Since 2010, they have jointly invested in infrastructure projects like schools, streets, bridges and government buildings in northern Afghanistan.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has recently restored the 12.5 hectare Chihilsitoon Garden in Kabul, Afghanistan. Incorporating 10,200m2 of modernised or newly constructed rammed earth buildings, the project now provides high-quality facilities for visitors. Renovation work began in early 2015 and incorporated the existing sport and recreation facilities already on site. The design of the new buildings, which include an exhibition hall, 300-seat auditorium, as well as a multi-purpose facility within the reconstructed palace, follows vernacular forms and typologies. Throughout the site, more than 5,000 new trees were planted, while a commercial nursery was constructed in order to generate additional revenue for the upkeep of the site.