The hallowed reputation of the famous Blue Mosque in the center of Afghanistan’s northern Mazar-i-Sharif city is sedately changing. Inside the complex, the Taliban have built a museum exhibiting its suicide objects in a bid to honor the “sacrifices” of their suicide bombers who killed and maimed civilians and foreign troops during the group’s two-decade insurgency that ended in 2021.
Displayed inside glass cases in the one-room “Fath” or “Victory Museum” are wartime weapons such as Russian-made guns like AK-47s, a Honda motorbike used by the group’s suicide bombers, and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. The main attraction is perhaps a yellow barrel of explosives—the group’s signature improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—which are displayed along with antique copies of the Koran in grisly detail.
Residents and experts KabulNow spoke with say the museum glorifies suicide bombing in an attempt to promote fear and violence.
The museum was established in April last year at the behest of Yousuf Wafa, the Taliban’s governor for Balkh province, who is close to the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader, Hibatullah Akundzada. Under Akhundzada’s leadership, the group led its ruthless insurgency and eventually seized power nearly three years ago as the Western-backed government in Kabul collapsed.
“This wartime equipment and artifacts played a crucial role in the victory against the U.S. occupation and its puppet regime and should therefore be preserved for future generations,” reads a note on behalf of the Taliban governor in the museum. Residents and experts KabulNow spoke with say the museum glorifies suicide bombing in an attempt to promote fear and violence.
Before their swift military takeover, the Taliban embraced the suicide bombing tactic, training special brigades for suicide missions. Under their harsh interpretation of Islam, Taliban leaders dubbed their suicide bombers “Isteshhadi,” or “seeking martyrdom” which has since their first suicide bombing in 2003 become an integral feature of their military strategy.
With the group in power, this notorious strategy has taken a new turn with the Taliban leaders publicly promoting it on a larger scale.
Soon after seizing control in Kabul, the Taliban displayed a victory parade, lining up their suicide bombers and an arsenal of suicide vests. The ruling authorities further created a fresh suicide brigade, bestowing them with recognition and legitimacy within their army.
A few months later in a special ceremony in the capital, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister who is listed on the FBI’s most wanted with a $10 million bounty on his head, offered cash and land as rewards to the families of suicide bombers who carried out hundreds of deadly attacks across Afghanistan during the last 20 years. It prompted widespread outrage and criticism from rights groups and families who lost their loved ones in such violent attacks.
The Taliban’s museum in Mazar-i-Sharif could be one of many. The group says it is aiming to expand such museums across the country. Recently, Atiqullah Azizi, Taliban’s deputy minister of Information and Culture, announced in a TV interview that a “Jihad Museum” would be soon opened in Kabul.
On various occasions, the Taliban’s Balkh governor invited foreign delegates visiting the country to visit the museum. In one instance, officials from Uzbekistan accompanied by Wafa paid a visit, which was later publicized by the governor’s office on social media.
The Taliban’s provincial authorities are also encouraging foreign tourists to visit the museum, a source told KabulNow. The group has to some extent worked its way to attract foreign visitors across the country with 7,000 foreigners visiting the country last year—a figure that rose from 2,300 in 2022.
While the Taliban are preparing for more overseas visitors, members of the regime for now make the bulk of visitors to the museum in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Some residents who have visited the Taliban’s museum say the group’s officials and fighters mainly visit the museum’s war objects.
“Members of the Taliban browse the group’s wartime objects with great pride and enthusiasm,” one eyewitness who recently visited the museum told KabulNow on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “They are more drawn toward the horrid section depicting yellow plastic jerry cans which were used for explosion.”
“We would target the Kafirs/infidels [referring to foreign troops] with these yellow barrels,” the eyewitness heard a Taliban fighter talking to his peers. “With the same explosives, we killed foreign troops and their local allies.”
Fearful of exposing students to the Taliban’s glorification of suicide and explosive objects, schools, universities, and local institutions have halted their usual trips to the Blue Mosque complex.
If anything, the number of local visitors to the Blue Mosque has substantially decreased since the Taliban’s “Victory Museum” was established. Women are not allowed visits as part of the group’s severe restrictions on women’s rights. The group’s draconian gender laws, which critics say amount to gender apartheid, have effectively curtailed women’s rights to education, employment, mobility, appearance, and other freedoms.
“Before the Taliban rule, the Blue Mosque attracted more than 500 daily visitors, generating 5,000 Afghani [$70],” an official in the Taliban-controlled provincial Department of Information and Culture told KabulNow on condition of anonymity, adding the number has declined to about 100 people after the Taliban governor has accommodated suicide barrels and explosives for exhibition.
Fearful of exposing students to the Taliban’s glorification of suicide and explosive objects, schools, universities, and local institutions have halted their usual trips to the Blue Mosque complex, the official said, referring to earlier field trips that allowed students to broaden their knowledge and exposure about history and culture.
Described as an oasis of peace, the Blue Mosque, locally known as Roza Sharif, stands as an iconic religious site for spiritual ambiance for both Sunnis and Shias, offering a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of Afghanistan.
The stunning complex, a semblance of a large, blue-tiled sanctuary, offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of Mazar-i-Sharif’s streets and bazaars. On top of that, the Mosque captivated thousands of worshippers and visitors for religious and cultural events, mainly the celebration of the annual Nowruz festival, the beginning of the Persian calendar.
Under the shadow of the Taliban’s regime, Nowruz, which has historically been a period of joy and communal celebration, has been anything but celebratory for many. The Taliban, who deem Nowruz a “pagan” and “Zoroastrian” festival, has barred people from holding public celebrations and cultural events during this period.
“How can women and children visit a place that exhibits objects that depict suicide bombing?” he questioned the intention of the authorities. “This only promotes a culture of violence and terror.”
Many view the regime’s “Victory Museum” as an explicit example of how the group pushes for its own kind of appreciation.
“We fear that the Taliban’s glorification of suicide vests and explosive devices could impact the mindset of students, swaying them to a different direction,” Nazila, a school teacher in Mazar-i-Sharif whose name we have changed to protect her identity, told KabulNow. “We can’t afford the danger of exposing our children to equipment that depicts horror and violence.”
Mohammad Yousuf, another resident in the city, shared a similar sentiment, calling on the Taliban authorities to close down their museum within the mosque to allow people to visit the place as usual.
“How can women and children visit a place that exhibits objects that depict suicide bombing?” he questioned the intention of the authorities. “This only promotes a culture of violence and terror.”
Health experts, on the other hand, point to its grave mental and psychological toll.
“The Taliban authorities have objectively opened the museum to expose people, especially children to explosive barrels,” a local psychiatrist in Mazar-i-Sharif told KabulNow on condition of anonymity. “It is deeply disturbing that children view these explosive objects instead of valuable artifacts, like historical books.”
Etilaatroz originally published this piece in Farsi.
