In the mid-20s of the 20th century, on the outskirts of Kabul, German architects built a palace for the royal family of Afghanistan. The mid-20s of the 20th century were the real heyday of relations between Afghanistan and Germany. It was then that King Amanullah Khan invited German architects to build a new palace. 22 specialists from Germany also arrived to reconstruct buildings in the city and build new ones. Within a couple of years, German architects built two majestic palaces in the neoclassical style – Taj Beg, also known as Amin’s Palace, and Dar ul-Aman, which means “gate to peace.”

In those days, Kabul was somewhat smaller than it is now, so the residences were located a dozen kilometers from the center. Amanullah Khan chose this location not by chance: German experts advised him to build new palaces far from the city, where riots broke out and residents rebelled. This was supposed to protect the king from a possible attack.

The Tajbeg Palace in Kabul was stormed by special forces and airborne troops on December 27, 1979, as part of Operation Storm 333. The palace housed the Afghan leader Hafizullah Amin, who was killed during this operation.

However, after the assault, the palace was not so badly damaged and was soon restored. The walls of the residence received the greatest amount of damage during the uprising led by Tanaya and the struggle of Mujahideen groups for control of the city after the fall of the government of President Najibullah. The residents of Kabul themselves had a hand in the destruction of the palace. The locals took everything valuable they could find out of the building, right down to the tiles from the floor.

Despite the fact that almost all the houses of the capital of Afghanistan have been restored, the Taj Beg Palace still lies in ruins. The former luxury residence is covered in graffiti and has become a haven for stray animals. In 2012, a campaign began to raise funds to restore the palace to turn the building into a museum and venue for ceremonies. But many residents are in favor of leaving the Taj Beg as is, as a reminder of the terrible consequences of war.