OLD CITY, NEW LOOK

Kabul is a city in Afghanistan. In 1990s there was a terrible civil war in Afghanistan. Rocket attacks and earthquakes damaged the city badly.

“Our city was a wonderful place before the war and we had a beautiful house. Then rockets landed on our house and it is not there anymore,” said Aminullah. He is a 63-year-old carpenter. He repaired the roof of the house but the house doesn’t look the same.

There are many old houses in the narrow streets of Kabul. Some groups are working to restore the city. Last year, one group cleaned up some older streets. Workers removed mountains of trash and mud. Afterwards, the streets were nine feet lower!

Another group spent over $8 million. It repaired the resting place of ruler Timur Shah. It also restored a very large garden from the 1500s. There are also some smaller projects that make many people happy. Groups are repairing an old bathhouse and many homes. They are in a crowded neighborhood in the old part of the city.

People in other countries give millions of dollars to help and Kabul’s people are grateful for the work. Many of them are helping, too. After all, they are proud of their neighborhoods.