Country Afghanistan | Province Kabul | |
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Wazir Akbar Khan (وزیر اکبر خان) is a neighbourhood in northern Kabul, Afghanistan, named after the 19th century Afghan Emir Wazir Akbar Khan. It is one of the wealthiest parts in Kabul. Many foreign embassies are located there, including the American and Canadian. The Kabul International Airport is also located in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood.
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Map of Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Afghanistan
It is a common place for foreign workers to live. The streets are laid out on a grid with Western, two-story houses that date back to the 1960s and 1970s. Like much of Kabul, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) provide security for the area. Most of Afghanistan's national government institutions are located in the area, including the Presidential Palace, the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force and the German-Afghan Amani High School. A Marriott Hotel is being constructed across from the U.S. Embassy.
Terminology
The neighborhood is named after Emir Wazir Akbar Khan, a prominent Afghan hero during the early 1840s, a son of Emir Dost Mohammad Barakzai.
Akbar is Arabic for "great" and Khan means "chief/King" in Pashto.
In popular culture
The early part of the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is set in this suburb.
The second half of Max Ledman's novel "Conspiracy" takes place in this suburb.