Regeneration of Murad Khane

Current phase: 2008-2011
Project budget: $6.7 million

Implemented by the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, the Murad Khane project supports the economic, social, and cultural regeneration of the district of Murad Khane through a variety of measures aimed at raising the community’s standard of living, enhancing its economy, and strengthening its traditions and identity.

The most important activities under this project are:

• providing employment, literacy courses, and vocational training;
• operating schools of traditional arts, such as traditional ceramics, woodwork, and calligraphy;
• providing business training and other services to craft producers; and
• restoring, refurbishing, and rebuilding homes, cultural buildings, shops, and infrastructure.

The district of Murad Khane is an important commercial and cultural hub on the Kabul River in Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul. While years of neglect and war have damaged the historic area, Murad Khane retains much of its original fabric, with a network of small streets connecting the bazaar, religious structures, and houses in a layout representing the area’s unique ties to Afghan history.