As the founding father of one of the greatest dynasties in the world, it is ironic that Babar, the conqueror, had a passion for gardens
FEW people realize that prior to his conquest of India, Babar, the first Mughal Emperor, spent much of his ‘peace time’, in both designing and constructing gardens. Indeed, many of the historical Mughal gardens still to be found throughout the subcontinent are based on original plans drawn up by this incredible descendant of Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane.
If one reads his engrossing autobiography, The Baburnama, one soon realizes that nature, in all of its guises, fascinated a man who could be described as having a garden for a soul.
However, no matter where he warred or settled, from his birth in Farghana (now Tajikistan) in 1483 to his untimely death in Agra in 1530, his favourite garden was the one he created in Kabul, Afghanistan between 1503 and 1525.
‘Bagh-e-Babar’ as it has long been known, meant so much to this historical giant that he requested that he be buried there and, despite a long delay, his body was eventually interred in his chosen spot thanks to the perseverance of his devoted Afghan wife Bibi Mubarika.
The once magnificent gardens suffered badly during the 23 years of war from which Afghanistan is still emerging, perhaps not so much during the Soviet occupation but drastically between 1992 and 1996 when fighting between rival Mujahideen groups resulted in massive destruction and again, from 1996 to 2001 when the Taliban held the city.
It is now wonderful to see that an impressive reconstruction programme,being implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation and aimed at restoring ‘Bagh-e-Babar’ to its former glory is proceeding at an amazing rate.
Over two dozen gardeners are hard at work in the six hectares of the walled gardens which, despite all that has happened, still retain their original shape. Orchards, rose gardens and flower beds of calendulas, snapdragons, marigolds and zinnias were all being planted when I stopped off for a visit. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anyone to give me details of the work in progress but it was still an immensely rewarding experience just to wander around gazing in awe at what will surely be a majestic monument to the past and a breathtaking pointer towards a better future.
As the founding father of one of the greatest dynasties in the world, it is ironic that Babar, the conqueror, had a passion for gardens
