Paghman Hill Castle


Paghman Hill Castle is a palace located in the town of Paghman, Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It opened to the public in 2014 for Nowruz. It was planned to be used for major festivals. The castle and surrounding areas are used as a presidential retreat and a location to host foreign guests. The palace is located less than 10 kilometers from Qargha Lake.

History

Construction

The preparation process began in March 2013. 700 people were employed for the project. According to officials, a total of $6.5 million was allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Finance for preparing the palace. The development effort had a huge impact on the economy of local communities. The construction work on the palace and its surroundings incurred more than 15 million USD. Experts believed the international functions in Paghman can make the place a preferred tourist destination in Afghanistan.
The Nowruz celebrations in 2014 were later cancelled due to security reasons and all the celebrations took place at the Arg, Kabul. The government’s official reason for the move was that work on the castle was incomplete.

Description

The officials say that the castle has three floors and is made of Afghanistan's marble stone and wood from Kunar Province. Its interior is decorated with handmade carpets and includes security cameras and emergency rooms. Beside the palace, there is a venue for exhibitions of domestic products. The palace's surroundings also consists of thousands of newly planted trees as well as a Buzkashi field, a waterfall and other attractions. The palace's interior is decorated with traditional handmade Afghan carpets and other traditional material. The boulevard that leads to the palace has trees on both sides.