page_title: Bala Hissar, Kabul
hierarchical_section_title: Bala Hissar, Kabul
caption_attribution_description: Upper Bala Hissar from west [Kabul]. Photograph taken by John Burke in 1879, in the period of the Second Afghan War (1878-80), showing the upper ramparts of the Bala Hissar fortress at Kabul in Afghanistan, with a cemetery in the foreground. The views in this album concentrate on the topography of Kabul and military scenes during the British occupation of 1879-80. In 1878 John Burke accompanied the Peshawar Valley Field Force, one of three British Anglo-Indian army columns deployed in the war, despite being rejected for the role of official photographer. He financed his trip by advance sales of his photographs 'illustrating the advance from Attock to Jellalabad'. Burke's Afghanistan photographs produced an important visual document of the region where strategies of the Great Game (concerning the territorial rivalry between Britain and Russia) were played out. The Bala Hissar or High Fortress was the ancient seat of power at Kabul dating back to the 5th century AD. It was located south of the city overlooking the houses and bazaars from a commanding height. In 1879, when General Roberts and his troops occupied the city in the second campaign of the war, precipitated by the killing of the British Resident Sir Louis Cavagnari and his mission and the sacking of the Residency by the Afghans, the British first stayed in the fortress and later partially destroyed it in punitive action against the Afghans.
context_page_description: Bala Hissar is an ancient fortress located in the south of the old city of Kabul, Afghanistan. The estimated date of construction is around the 5th century AD. Bala Hissar sits to the south of the modern city centre at the tail end of the Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain. The Walls of Kabul, which are 20 feet high and 12 feet thick, start at the fortress and follow the mountain ridge in a sweeping curve down to the river. It sports a set of gates for access to the fortress. The Kōh-e Shēr Darwāzah mountain is behind the fort.
  Bala Hissar was originally divided into two parts: The lower fortress, containing the stables, barracks and three royal palaces, and the upper fortress housing the armory and the dungeon of Kabul, known as the "Black Pit".
context_section_description: Bala Hissar ("High Fort") is an ancient fortress located in the south of the old city of Kabul, Afghanistan. The estimated date of construction is around the 5th century AD. Bala Hissar sits to the south of the modern city centre at the tail end of the Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain. The Walls of Kabul, which are 20 feet (6.1 m) high and 12 feet (3.7 m) thick, start at the fortress and follow the mountain ridge in a sweeping curve down to the river. It sports a set of gates for access to the fortress. The Kōh-e Shēr Darwāzah (lion door) mountain is behind the fort.
  Bala Hissar was originally divided into two parts: The lower fortress, containing the stables, barracks and three royal palaces, and the upper fortress (the actual fort with the name Bala Hissar) housing the armory and the dungeon of Kabul, known as the "Black Pit" (the Siyah Chal).
caption: Upper Bala Hissar from west Kabul in 1879
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