Sakhi Shrine

The Sakhi Shrine sits at the foot of the Asamai hill in western Kabul, a domed sanctuary revered particularly by the city's Shia community and associated with the veneration of Ali. Each spring it becomes the focus of Kabul's Nowruz celebrations, when a ceremonial banner is raised and large crowds gather in observance of the new year. The shrine's blue-tiled dome overlooks a busy quarter and a hillside cemetery, and pilgrims visit throughout the year to pray and seek blessings. Its religious and communal role makes it a landmark.