Afghanistan

In my last post, I addressed the various countries that I wish to go to, but due to their laws, I wouldn’t feel secure going to those places.

Afghanistan doesn’t actually refer to homosexuality, nevertheless it appears to refer to Sharia law where homosexuality is illegal and can lead to execution. Despite this, no one has been sentenced to death since the demise of the Taliban rule in 2001. It is still on record, and people are still punished for same-sex relationships with a prison sentence.

This is actually one of the few nations in this list that—even if the laws were undone tomorrow—I still wouldn’t consider going to due to the conflict within the borders. I don’t really know significant information regarding Afghanistan. It was five years ago when the United States of America declared war in Afghanistan. That indicates that, for approximately my whole life, the country has been at war. I am oblivious to anything that would actually be there if a war was to finish. Nonetheless, I have looked throughout the internet and I am examining what there is out there in this country that I would actually want to view. In my mind, the entire country is ash and torture—although, then again, I might be mistaken.

I am incorrect, a short Google search revealed that although it is a country at war, there is still plenty to see and some of it would appeal to me. Therefore, here is everything I would do if I happened to find myself in Afghanistan. I am using Trip Adviser for those who wish to know.

I thought I would begin with Band-e Amir National Park. Presently, I don’t know much about this National Park, but I have viewed a number of pictures of it and I believed it was wonderful. The impressive blue water, the ever breathtaking waterfall, I deem it is something that would be an enjoyable experience. Due to the evidence that this is the country's first national park, I imagine it would be a great trip to take to the gorgeous deep blue. The national park is located in the Bamyan Province and I subjectively think that recognising the nature of a country is equally as significant as comprehending the history. The national park is made up of six lakes in the Hundu Kush mountains. In 1975, a Bollywood movie, Dharmatma, was filmed upon this land. It is a popular tourist attraction with over 6,000 people traveling to it each year.

Now I won’t list several religious sites. The next one on this list is a mosque. I have no idea if it is a place I have to pay for or not, but I think I should explain why I won't list them. Unless I am physically dragged, then I won’t go to religious sites. I don’t agree with the point of them, I see it as a waste—they have spent hundreds maybe even thousands on this building. All you need is a mat in your house to pray, you don’t need theses grand buildings. The money should be used to help the homeless. Religion preaches about helping others, yet spends all its money on a building. It is a weird way of looking at life, but unless there is historical meaning behind the building that interests me, the chances of me going into a religious building on free will is very unlikely.

If you want me to write about a mosque or a church or anything along those lines, I don't generally do that. I have been to churches and cathedrals because of the people who were buried there. I go because of history, not because of religion. I believe in admiring past leaders, but I don’t believe in religion, and I felt like I need to write my explanation to why none will appear on here. I do, however, love graves, so they may make an appearance. I will just lurk behind the church rather than go into them.

Speaking of tombs and dead people, my next item on the list would be that of Babur Tomb, sometimes referred to as the Garden of Babur. It is the last resting place of the first Mughal emperor Babur. Here is a small portion of history of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was an empire in the Indian subcontinent. The official language was Persian and they were an empire from the mid-1500s to the mid-1800s. The empire was trying to combine Persian culture with local Indian cultural which was obvious in its traits and customs.

These gardens are deemed to have been around since the early 1500s. You see it was accepted for Moghul princes to develop sites for pleasure during their lifetimes, and this became a place for Babur and his successors. From the pictures that I have noticed, the gardens look stunning with wonderful maple trees inside the walls. As well as Babur being buried here, his older sister, the youngest son, and two of his grandchildren were laid to rest here.

Next on the list is the Darul Aman Palace. I appreciate palaces and castles; they are some of my favourite things to see. If there is a palace, I am going to be there. This, however, is a demolished palace, but as of 2017, there looks to progress in renovating the building. The goal is to get it done in 2019, but who knows if that will happen.

The palace was constructed in an effort to modernise Afghanistan in the early 1920s. It was created by French and German architects. It was one of the first buildings in the country to have central heating and running water. Its purpose was intended to hold the future parliament, however, after Amanullah was forced from power in 1929, the modernising of the country came to a standstill. It did, however, serve as a medical school as well as a warehouse. The palace was destroyed in a fire in 1968, and although it was restored, it was once more set on fire and entirely gutted to ruins in the 1990s.

In the early 2000s, it was used as a refugee settlement and later for the Afghan National Army. There is so much history in this building and I think it warrants its place in the world. Various people will say that Afghanistan has gone backwards since the 1970s, but this palace does show at one time or another that it made an attempt to move forward and become more modern.

The succeeding stop is the National Museum of Afghanistan, which much like everything on this list is located near Kabul. The museum is going under a major expansion, according to intentional standards. During the 1992 civil war, the museum was looted a number of times, resulting in a loss of 70 percent of all the objects on display. Nevertheless, since 2007, approximately 8,000 artifacts have been recovered. The museum has a detailed collection of native art, dresses, and jewelry, as well as ancient pottery and metal works. It is recognised to have one of the greatest collections by any museum in Asia, and that is why it should be on everyone’s list to visit.

I am going to advise five things because it is not too many, but gives you enough insight into the country. This is our last stop in Afghanistan: Gawhar Shad Madrasa and Mausoleum. I couldn’t find much history about this place, but from reading a number of comments, it appears once you arrive at this site that you will experience the history of the place. The building itself still stands tall, and although an enormous amount of the art on it has dissolved over the years, it still looks remarkable. There are plenty of trees, which makes great shade from the hot sun. The inside of the mausoleum, nevertheless, has much of its art on the walls and ceiling; however, it has withered over the time. From reading the reviews, it has an immense amount of history that I would love to discover—despite the fact that looks to be in the distant future.