Bagh-e Babur was designed as a pleasure garden but became a tomb garden after the death of its founder and, hence, a symbolic place for the Mughal dynasty.
Bagh-e Babur (Dari: باغ بابر), also known as Gardens of Babur, is a historic site in Chelsatun, Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located in the Sher Darwaza hillside, southwest of Shahr-e Naw, or a short distance south of Kabul Zoo and north of Chihil Sutun. The gardens of Babur have several terraced buildings, a small mosque, and plenty of walking space. Visited by up to one million locals and foreign tourists a year, it is also where the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur is located. The park is thought to have been developed around 1504 when Babur gave orders for the construction of an "avenue garden" in Kabul, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama. It has been re-developed by various Afghan rulers since then.
Created by the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur (1483-1530), after his conquest of Kabul in 1504, Bagh-e-Babur is one of the earliest surviving Mughal gardens. The king was a passionate gardener and personally designed and supervised at least 10 gardens in his capital Kabul.
It was the tradition of Mughal princes to develop sites for recreation and pleasure during their lifetime and later choose one of these as their last resting place. The site continued to be of significance to Babur's successors; Jahangir made a pilgrimage to the site in 1607 when he ordered that all gardens in Kabul be surrounded by walls, that a prayer platform be laid in front of Babur's grave, and an inscribed headstone placed at its head. During the visit of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, a marble screen was erected around the tomb of Babur, and a mosque was built on the terrace below. There are accounts from the time of the visit to the site of Shah Jahan in 1638 of a stone water channel that ran between an avenue of trees from the terrace below the mosque, with pools at certain intervals.
Notable people are also buried here. Some notable members of Babur's family were also buried in the Bagh-e-Babur, including:
Babur (r. 1494–1530); (1483–1530), founder of Mughal Empire.
Khanzada Begum (1478–1545), the older sister of Babur, wife of Shaybani Khan and prominent women in the establishment of Mughal Empire.
Fakhr-un-Nissa (d. 1501), first born daughter of Babur, died in Infancy.
Hindal Mirza (1519–1551), the youngest son of Babur.
Ruqaiya Sultan Begum (1542–1626), the only daughter of Hindal Mirza and the Beloved wife of Akbar. Buried next to his father.
Gulbadan Begum (1523–1602), daughter of Babur. Author of Humayun-Nama.
Mirza Muhammad Hakim (1553–1585), Humayun's son and Babur's grandson.
Shah Abul Maali (1550–1564), Humayun's son-in-law and from the family of Great Seyyids of Tirmi.
| Location | Sher Darwaza, Kabul, Afghanistan[1] |
|---|---|
| Coordinates |  34.503°N 69.158°E |
| Created | 1504[2] |
| Founder | Babur |
| Open | 7 am–8 pm |
| Status | Active |
| Parking | Yes |