Located 25 km from the capital city of Kabul, Paghman is one of the recreational and historical areas of Kabul which attracts many tourists every summer.
Paghman has two very popular valleys including "Paghman" and "Pashei". Both the sites are very green with a very pleasant weather. In Paghman's center, there is the famous "Paghman Hill" which is one of the best recreational areas in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Ali Eslami Nodooshan, the Iranian scholar and researcher who traveled to different cities in Afghanistan few decades ago, described Paghman in his book "Safir-e Simorgh", which is a memoir of his trip to Afghanistan:
" Kabul's nearest summer resort is Paghman. Like Shemiran in Tehran, it is more or less the same distance from the city; it is a very pleasant and clean village with large gardens.... The streets are so clean and flat and when water is sprinkled on the soil in the evenings, they smell of mud, which is much more pleasant than asphalt smell ..."
After Afghanistan took back its independence from Britain in 1919, Amanullah Khan sought to create a symbol for Afghanistan's independence, and thus, he built 'Tagh-e Zafar' (Victory Arch) in Paghman region as this symbol.
As stated in the book "A Brief and Illustrated History of Afghanistan", the names of those sacrificed their lives to take back the country's independence have been engraved on the structure's domed wall.
'Tagh-e Zafar' was severely damaged during several decades of war, and after the new developments in Afghanistan, the government of Hamid Karzai rebuilt the building while preserving its historical originality.
After the proclamation of the International Day of Nowruz, when Afghanistan hosted the Nowruz celebration in 2014, the government decided to hold this international celebration in Paghman region. To this purpose, a magnificent palace combining traditional and modern architecture was built it in Paghman.