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Presidential palace of Afghanistan
34°31′25″N
69°10′44″E
/
34.52361°N 69.17889°E
/
34.52361; 69.17889
The
Arg
(
Pashto
:
???
;
Dari
:
???
;
lit.
'
citadel
'
) is the
presidential palace
[1]
of
Afghanistan
, located in
Kabul
. Since
the 2021 abolition
of the
Afghan presidency
by the
Taliban
, it has served as the meeting place of the
Cabinet of Afghanistan
. The palace sits on a 34-hectare (83-acre) site in
District 2
, between
Deh Afghanan
and the affluent neighbourhood of
Wazir Akbar Khan
; it has historically been used by many
Afghan heads of state
, from
Abdur Rahman Khan
(who laid its foundation) to
Ashraf Ghani
.
It was built after the destruction of the
Bala Hissar
in 1880.
History
[
edit
]
The foundation of the Arg was laid by
Emir
Abdur Rahman Khan
in 1880 after assuming the throne.
[2]
It was designed as a castle with a water-filled trench around it. Abdur Rahman Khan named it
Arg-e-Shahi
(Citadel of the King) and included, among other buildings, a residence for his family, an
Afghan Army
barracks, and the national treasury. Previously, the
Bala Hissar
served as the citadel or the headquarters of the emirs until it was destroyed by the
Frontier Force Regiment
during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War
(1878?80).
The Arg has served as the royal and presidential palace for all of the kings and
presidents
of Afghanistan.
Hafizullah Amin
also used
Tajbeg Palace
as the residence for his family. It has undergone modifications and revitalization under the different rulers. During the 1978
Saur Revolution
,
Mohammad Daoud Khan
and his family were assassinated by members of the
People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
(PDPA) inside the Arg. On 15 August 2021, following the
2021 Taliban offensive
and the
near seizure of the capital
, the
Taliban
occupied the Arg after president
Ashraf Ghani
fled the country, purportedly for peace and to avoid bloodshed.
[3]
[4]
The Taliban has since been using the Arg to hold meetings of the
Cabinet of Afghanistan
, except those chaired by the
Supreme Leader
, which are held in
Kandahar
.
[5]
Construction
[
edit
]
The Arg (up to 15 August 2021) consisted of the following:
- The
Gul Khana
, which served as the offices for President
Ashraf Ghani
and the President's Protocol Office;
- The Offices of the President's Chief of Staff;
- The National Security Advisor's building; and the Offices of the Spokesperson to the President.
- Offices for the
Afghan National Security Forces
(ANSF).
- Building for the Administrative Office of the President.
- Various buildings for receiving delegations or hosting large meetings.
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
United States Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin
at the palace on March 21, 2021
-
The front of the palace on February 29, 2020
-
NATO and Afghan officials in 2020
-
-
Overview of the Arg palace and several other palaces and gardens within the complex
-
-
U.S. Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates
and Karzai addressing international media in 2011
-
Karzai and Robert Gates in 2010
-
The Arg entrance in 1965
-
The palace when first built in the 1890s, during the reign of
Amir
Abdur Rahman Khan
See also
[
edit
]
Other palaces in Kabul:
References
[
edit
]