The tourism industry of Afghanistan, developed with government help in the early 1970s, has been

negligible since 1979 due to internal political instability. A passport and visaare required for entrance
into Afghanistan. In 1999, the UN estimated the daily cost of staying in Kabul at $70 USD.
Approximately 61% of these costs were estimated to be the price of a room in a guesthouse. It also
has a high rate for hotels. Travel was highly restricted in the country due to the US-led
campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda

Indus Valley Civilization cities[edit]

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (3300-1300 BC; mature period
2600-1900 BC) extending from what today is northwest Pakistan to northwestIndia and northeast
Afghanistan.[3] An Indus Valley site has been found on the Oxus River at Shortugai in northern
Afghanistan.[4] Apart from Shortughai tourists can visitMundigak in southern Afghanistan which is
another notable site.

National Museum of Afghanistan[edit]

National museum of Afghanistan.

The museums collection had earlier been one of the most important in Central Asia,[5] with over
100,000 items dating back several millennia. With the start of the civil war in 1992, the museum was
looted numerous times resulting in a loss of 70% of the 100,000 objects on display.[6] Since 2007, a
number of international organizations have helped to recover over 8,000 artifacts, the most recent
being a limestone sculpture fromGermany.[7] Approximately 843 artifacts were returned by the United
Kingdom in 2012, including the famous 1st Century Bagram Ivories.[8]

Babur Gardens[edit]
Babur Gardens.

The Gardens of Babur is a historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also the last resting-place of the
first Mughal emperor Babur. The gardens are thought to have been developed around 1528 AD (935
AH) when Babur gave orders for the construction of an ‘avenue garden’ in Kabul, described in some
detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama. Lonely Planet describes the park as the loveliest spot
in Kabul.[9]

The Kabul Zoo[edit]

Another place of interest is the Kabul Zoo. It is located in Kabul, Afghanistan, on the bank of
the Kabul River. As of 2010, the zoo has about 280 animals, which includes 45 species of birds and
mammals and 36 species of fish.[10] Among the animals there are two lions and Afghanistan's only
pig. As many as 10,000 people visit during the weekends