Ziyarat-e Sakhi Shrine

The Ziyarat-e Sakhi Shrine sits at the foot of Asmai hill in central Kabul and is among the most revered places of pilgrimage in the city. The shrine is associated with Sakhi, a title commonly applied to Imam Ali, and draws visitors who come to pray, light candles and tie offerings, particularly on Thursday evenings and Fridays when it is busiest. It is best known as the focus of Nowruz, the Persian new year celebrated on 21 March, when families gather around the shrine in large numbers, raise the janda flag in a ceremony, and the surrounding streets fill with food sellers, musicians and visitors. Architecturally the complex is modest, with a courtyard, a blue-tiled shrine building and a small mosque, set among stalls selling religious items, sweets and flowers. Visitors can observe the devotional life of the city, and the atmosphere at the shrine is quiet and respectful outside festival periods. A visit takes 20 to 30 minutes, mostly for the courtyard and its surroundings. Morning is the calmest time, before the daily flow of pilgrims builds. Entry is free. Visitors should dress modestly, remove shoes where required, keep voices low and ask before photographing worshippers; women should carry a headscarf. Non-Muslim visitors should ask permission before entering the inner shrine. A taxi from central Kabul costs roughly 80 to 150 AFN (approx $1-2). The shrine sits close to the foot of Tapa-e Asmai, so the two can be visited together, and it lies a short distance from the Id Gah neighbourhood.