Historical Legends from Afghanistan

The wall of Kabul

Anyone who has visited Kabul would've noticed the ruins of a long, ancient wall stretching out like an elongated dragon along the ridge of the mountain, Sher darwaza.

The wall begins at Artal bridge and stretches all the way to Bala Hissar. It is believed that the wall dates back to Hephthalite era, when king Zanburak Shah ruled this area and Kabul was his capital. Today one of the peaks of the mountain is named after this ruler, Mount Zanburak Shah.

According to the legends, this king of Kabul, who lived about a hundred years before Islam, was cruel and always suspicious of others. Fearing an enemy would attack him and his domain, he decided to surround Kabul with huge walls.

Two great gates were planned- one at Dehmazang to the west of the city, and the other toward Bala Hissar in the southeast. The top of the wall, which offers a splendid view of present-day Kabul, follows the crest up the Sher darwaza mountain and then descends to the ancient fortress, Bala Hissar, the remains of which are still present. According to the people of Kabul this was has a ghastly history, which explain why it was never completed.

The king was an absolute monarch and reputed to be the greatest oppressor of his time. His subjects detested him. On the day he began construction of the wall, he forced all the people to come and join in the work. Nobody dared disobey him, disagreeable as it was, because the king maintained a very strict watch. Without hesitation he eliminated anyone who was lazy or weak.

If a person could not maintain the pace of the work, he simply had him immured alive in the wall.

The people worked as hard as they could, with the cries of those imprisoned in the walls ringing in their ears, until they were silence by suffocation and death.

The wall was nearing completion when a dramatic event interrupted the work. Among the hundred of workers was a young man about to get married. He was as terrified as the others and did not dare ask favors from the king. His betrothed sternly reproached him for this, accusing him of being spineless. She refused to accept his docipility and finally worked out a bold plan.

Shortly thereafter, the young girl was seen digging on the wall. She arrived with a determined air and explained that she was replacing her brother who had suddenly fallen ill. Calmly and courageously she went to work. In meantime, her fiancé, frightened of the whole idea, hid in his house and tried not to think about what was happening. He regretted having made a bargain with his betrothed, because he held himself responsible for her plan.

The dreadful spectacle of poor people cemented in the wall haunted him. However, the work continued and days passed by and his valiant young betrothed faithfully continued the task that she had imposed upon herself.

One day, the king visited the construction site. With rage and fear in their hearts, the workers continued their work. Making careful inspection, the king rode by majestically, surrounded by his mounted retinue. As he examined the massive wall which he liked to call his own work, he noticed the young girl. She promptly drew her veil across her face as the king approached. The king called her over to him, asking why she had veiled her face, "just a few minutes earlier you were working with these men and you were uncovered. Why did you cover yourself now?"

"These are not men!" Replied the girl with rage.

"Why?" Asked the indignant king.

"No, they are not men!" She said. "If they were men, they would not let themselves be treated like slaves without attempting a revolt. I'm only a poor woman, but I will not submit to your cruel laws."

She then grabbed a large rock and heaved it at the king. It stuck him in the middle of the chest, knocked him from his horse and killed him. A wild shout spread throughout the crowd as they immediately rushed together without signal or warning and started attacking the shocked courtiers who were staring at the dying king lying on the ground. The courtiers had no chance to defend themselves as the crowd massacred them on the spot.

The news of this incident spread immediately throughout the bazaars of the city. The oppressor and his courtiers were dead, destroyed by his own people. The population of the town descended from the hill and abandoned the wall.

The wall was never completed. Everybody celebrated, not only over their liberation but even more over the wedding of the young courageous heroine who had sparked the revolt.

The brave girl was called Sumhi (moon). After this liberation, the people nicknamed the mountain, Asa-Mah in honor of Sumhi. Gradually the name of the mountain changed to Asa-mahi and to Asmayi and is still called by that name today.

The walls has been demolished numerous times due to different civil wars and natural disasters. It is said that the wall has been rebuilt three times so far. First, it was rebuilt and strenghtened by Babur Shah in the 16th century. It was rebuilt a second time by Ahamd Shah Abdali and his son Temur Shah in 18th century. In the 19th century, during the reign of Abdul Rahman Khan it was rebuilt a 3rd time.

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Next story: Rabia and Baktash; a love between a princess and a slave