Visiting The Blue Mosque In Kabul, Afghanistan 🇦🇫: Incredible...
- Konrad Tillman
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
Intro
One of the largest highlights of my trip to Afghanistan was the very last day when we visited the large blue mosque and the giant Taliban flag (which I will write about shortly). There is truly nothing like the beauty of Afghanistan, architecture-wise and people-wise.
So yes, the mosque was simply surreal to experience in person, but what happened after changed my perspective on life forever.
Visiting The Mosque
Departing from The Taliban-run hotel in Kabul bright and early at 8 am, we embarked to a side of Kabul I hadn’t been to before. Traffic-wise, getting from downtown to the outskirts isn’t that bad during the morning, it’s the other way around that sucks.
Getting dropped off by the taxi driver, we had to walk through a graveyard before arriving at the Taliban check to enter the mosque. It’s always moving walking through any graveyard, but more so when the place is Afghanistan. Once again, The Taliban checked our belongings quite thoroughly before finally allowing us to pass.
And it was at that moment that I saw something I hadn’t seen yet: Taliban officers dressed in all white. Perched just in front of the mosque lay a couple of Taliban members dressed in all white. These specific Taliban officers are special police for women, making sure they remain “safe” at all times. Of course, I didn’t take a picture (that would have been dumb).
Okay, now for the mosque. Based off the mosque in Mazari-i-Sharif, the design remains relatively similar, but the one in Kabul is much smaller. The attention to detail is surreal, capturing the light as if it were a mirror polished by the sun.
People can roam around the grounds of the mosque freely, and there are even beds you can rent to take a nap or enjoy a tea. However, tourists are NOT allowed to enter the mosque which I completely understand. Realistically, unless you are of the religion, I believe the same rules should apply everywhere around the world like in Myanmar…
And then it was time to leave and head back to the taxi.
A Beautiful Encounter
Walking out of the mosque, we headed on a slightly different route down to find a taxi. Scouting my surroundings, I found a perfect spot to take a picture of part of Kabul, and in doing so, a man came over to ask me to take a picture of him and his son.
Without hesitation, of course, I was more than thrilled to take his picture, but the story was what blew me out of the water. Here the man was, standing on top of his father's grave, serious as a judge in the courtroom with his son smiling as if he didn’t know any better. With the city filling the landscape, this is a moment I will cherish forever. The pain, the sorrow, and yet the kindness shone brighter.
If that wasn’t enough, it became a party, next thing I knew everyone started calling me over to take a picture of them. Kids swarmed the streets, everyone laughing, smiling, screaming, and in the background,d you could see the Taliban giving us the sideye.
By the end of it I had been invited for tea by a couple of elderly gentlemen, but politely declined due to time constraints and my flight in the afternoon. Now this, to me, is Afghanistan. Not the politics, not the violence, but the people ❤️🇦🇫.
Much too long later, we made it back to the taxi stand and happened to stumble across the same taxi driver as before who took us on the 40-minute drive to the giant Taliban flag…
Final Thoughts
Kabul has my heart when it comes to the beauty of the architecture and the people. This city is one of the most special places I have ever visited and the blue mosque exasperated this. I mean the hospitality shown outside by the locals was truly heart-warming and I wish I was back there right now…
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