Inside the concrete walls of Afghanistan's fun park, a respite from war

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Kabul may seem an unlikely location for a fun park, but that's exactly what makes an attraction devoted to amusement so appealing.

Thousands of families have visited Kabul's City Park since it opened in October, taking advantage of the chance to temporarily escape lives greatly affected by war. Even among park rides and costumed characters, the threat isn't far away: The park is surrounded by high concrete blast walls.

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City Park is being hailed as Afghanistan's "first-ever" amusement park, but that's not quite accurate. Various parks have opened at different times in different regions in Afghanistan, all looking to offer residents a brief respite. In 2004, a private company made an agreement with the city to build an amusement park in Kabul's central Zarnegar Park. When the idea was proposed, it was met with both excitement and opposition. Read more...

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