Amusement Park Coming to Kabul

First came the colourful kites flying in the skies over Kabul after the fall of the Taleban. Then came footballs and volleyballs.

Now Kabul residents are about to get a diversion once thought impossible in this conservative Islamic country.

Under an agreement with the city, a private firm is building the country’s first amusement park, complete with a Ferris wheel, in the city’s central Zarnigar Park.

Jawid, 13, said he’s looking forward to going there with his family. Zia, 26, a literature student at Kabul University, also plans to visit as soon as the park opens. And Wali Murtaza, 19, a student at Habibia High School, said the park is a welcome idea.

But he wondered if the country didn’t have more important priorities. “If one really wants to take care of our people, [they] should provide the things which are needed more than these parks,” he said.

The park, which is due to open in May, has already drawn criticism from traditionalists who say it violates tenets of Islam by encouraging women to be seen in public.

“The Muslim religion does not allow women to appear among men without wearing burqas,” said Mohammed Ayub, a mullah with the Baghbanbashi Mosque, located not far from the park. “Having fun in this park is not permitted for them because men who are not their relatives will see them.”

Abdulrahman, 60, said he does not believe the park violates any rules of Islam, but still thinks tradition will keep many people from using it.

“According to the Islam religion and our culture, families are allowed to have fun in an amusement place,” he said. “But this amusement park, which is built in Zarnigar Park, is still full of jobless people and addicts, so how can families have fun there?”

Afghans may be reluctant to use the park, he said, because traditional attitudes, "will not allow us to be there with our female members of our families, and ride on the Ferris wheels in front of men," he said.

But Mohammad Es-haaq Amin, the deputy direct of the company that is building the park, the Faiz Mohammad Mahtabudin Company, defends the project, saying it will help revitalise the city.

“All the parks have been changed to dustbins and places for the drug trade,” he said. “We want to build a suitable environment for families to take advantage of and to have fun.”

Admission will cost two afganis; each ride will cost extra. The park will include a Ferris wheel, giant swings, electric cars and electric trains.

According to the contract, the company will share any profits with the city. For the first five years, the city will collect 15 percent of the gross income, and for the remaining 15 years, the city will receive 20 percent. After this 20-year period, the park will become the property of the city.

Security is a concern for the park, Amin said, and the company plans to hire guards to patrol the park, along with the city’s police officers.

Some Kabul residents still have their doubts about whether such a facility can be a success in Afghanistan.

Khushal, 50, an employee of the Ministry of Finance, said Afghan society may not be ready for this kind of public entertainment, and many people may not feel comfortable being there.

Schools should teach young people how to behave properly in the amusement park, Khushal said.

Abdul Rashid Janbaz, director of city planning, said park safety will be improved with fencing to keep out those who do not belong there and that the police also will assist with security.

The new amusement park is part of an on-going plan to build more recreation areas throughout the city, Janbaz said. “We have plans to construct a 20-hectare park in Chemtala district in northwest of Kabul with assistance of the private sector and international organizations,” he said.

That’s just what Swita, 18, a student at Aisha-e-Durani High School, would like to see.

“We want to have many green parks in our country and then our families can use them together,” she said.

“We want parks all around Kabul city [so that] families [can] spend their weekends far from the city crowd.”

Mohammad Jawad Sharifzada is an independent reporter in Kabul.