Babaji Mosque Restoration

Babaji Mosque, Afghanistan

Aga Khan Cultural Services–Afghanistan (AKCS-A) restored the Babaji Mosque in Ghazni Province between July 2024 and August 2025 to arrest structural deterioration and safeguard its cultural and religious value. On average, 22 skilled and semi-skilled workers were engaged daily to deliver a comprehensive conservation programme.

The works combined emergency stabilization, structural reconstruction, architectural rehabilitation, waterproofing and drainage upgrades, utility improvements, and site enhancements. Interventions addressed wall erosion, moisture ingress, unstable roofing, inadequate stormwater management, and damage from earlier, non-specialist repairs. Modern drainage and waterproofing were introduced for long-term protection, while traditional craftsmanship was used to recover and conserve historic fabric.

Upon completion, the mosque is structurally sound, historically authentic, and fully operational, with capacity for 100+ worshipers. Accessibility and the site setting have been improved, and the “Baba Haji” shrine within the mosque precinct has been conserved. The project demonstrates how heritage conservation can be integrated with community use and contemporary protection standards, offering a practical model for similar sites in Afghanistan.

The Babaji Mosque (Babaji Sahib) stands within Ghazni’s Bala Hissar (Citadel), occupying roughly 200 m² and long regarded as one of the region’s earliest Islamic places of worship. Its continued use as a neighborhood prayer space and gathering point underlines both religious significance and community attachment to the site.

Local tradition and several accounts trace the mosque’s origins to the early Islamic centuries—some associating it with the period of the third Caliph, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (7th c. CE). Before its conversion to a mosque, the location is believed to have been a Buddhist sanctuary during the Kushan era, notably under King Kanishka. This transition from Buddhist to Islamic use reflects a pivotal shift in the area’s religious landscape and helps explain the layered character detected in later fabric.

The Bala Hissar itself is a stratified hilltop complex whose early phases likely date to the Kushan period. It rose to prominence under the Ghaznavids (10th–11th c.) when Ghazni served as a political and cultural capital under Sultan Mahmud. Successive dynasties—including the Ghurids—added construction phases; much was later damaged by conflict, particularly the Mongol incursions. Today, the citadel retains more than a dozen historic mosques, and several—including Babaji—are registered on the Ministry of Information and Culture’s cultural heritage list, despite ongoing threats from neglect, environmental exposure, and limited conservation resources.

Architecturally, Babaji displays traditional Islamic elements but has suffered from weathering, moisture ingress, and ad hoc repairs that obscured details of the original fabric. Documentation gaps—common at sites with long continuity of use—further complicated attribution of certain features and phases. In 2024, AKCS-A implemented emergency stabilization and reinforcement, paired with measured surveys and photographic/condition records, establishing a baseline for future interventions. These actions laid the groundwork for a broader conservation strategy aimed at safeguarding historical integrity while ensuring the mosque remains safe and accessible for the community it serves.

The primary objectives of this conservation initiative were to:

• Safeguard and protect a heritage site of profound historic and religious significance, ensuring that the Babaji Mosque could be structurally stabilized, restored, and returned to the local community for continued religious use and long-term maintenance.
• Promote public awareness among Afghans regarding the value of their built heritage through the careful restoration of an important architectural and cultural landmark.
• Develop local professional capacity by enhancing the skills of Afghan engineers, artisans, and craftspeople through direct involvement in conservation works, ensuring the transmission of traditional building knowledge and craftsmanship.

The project successfully met and, in several areas, exceeded its stated objectives:

• The Babaji Mosque was fully restored and stabilized, now structurally secure, culturally preserved, and actively serving the community as a place of worship and gathering.
• The restoration process increased public appreciation for the mosque’s cultural and historical significance, serving as a visible and practical demonstration of the importance of safeguarding Afghanistan’s heritage.
• A significant number of Afghan professionals and craftspeople acquired advanced skills in heritage-specific masonry, carpentry, decorative plasterwork, and structural conservation techniques, strengthening local capacity for future restoration projects.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture