Conveniently close to Kabul, Ghazni was once the capital of a vast empire. In the 11th century, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni launched raids as far as Delhi and brought back the spoils to build a court that attracted the finest poets, musicians and scientists in the region. The city was one of the great cultural centers of the Islamic world.
Don't expect to find much of that splendor now. Centuries of invasion and civil war have left little standing from Ghazni's golden age. The two star-shaped minarets from the 12th century survive on the outskirts of the city, and the citadel still dominates the town, but the palaces are long gone. The tomb of Sultan Mahmud is a short way north at Rauza, and the Ghazni Museum of Islamic Art preserves what could be saved of the marble carving. The old city has a crumbling, dusty charm, and the bazaar is lively, but Ghazni today is a conservative provincial town in a volatile part of the country.