Robert Nickelsberg

Scaffolding supports the ongoing restoration work at the early twentieth-century Gudri Mosque in Kabul, built upon an earlier structure.

Two laborers pose for a picture during restoration and preservation work of Gudri Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan.

What started out as an architectural project to restore Gudri Mosque soon began involving the students in other disciplines – archaeology, preservation, and urban planning – as they began to probe the underpinnings of the damaged structure and found the remains of an earlier seventeenth-century building, which is rare in Kabul.

Once considered men-only professions in Afghanistan, architecture and engineering are attracting more women students at Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic. Here, female students sketch the old mosque’s entrance and minarets.

Kabul is faced with overpopulation and stress on the city’s infrastructure. Effective urban planning and preservation of Kabul’s historic districts pose challenges for engineers and architects. Students at Kabul University listen to architect Yasin Hejrat discuss the complexities of preserving the city’s historical sites and Kabul’s breakneck growth.

A Kabul University professor lectures to students about the restoration of Gudri Mosque.

Students sift through the foundation underpinnings of the damaged mosque searching for artifacts and found the remains of an earlier seventeenth-century building, which is rare in Kabul.

Professors at Kabul University are using the Gudri Mosque site to train aspiring students in architecture, historic preservation and urban regeneration.

Project Director Abdul Wasay Najimi, left, speaks with Kabul University architecture students on the urgent need for preserving Kabul’s heritage amid the city’s chaotic growth.