Kabul's sights are scattered across a wide, mostly mudbrick city in a high mountain valley. The historic core lies along the south bank of the Kabul river — the old bazaars, Murad Khani, the Shah-Do Shamshira mosque, and the Bala Hissar fortress that has guarded the city since the fifth century. Babur's Gardens to the south-west and the bombed-out Darul Aman Palace on the western edge are the other two essential stops. None of these are simple drop-in visits at the moment: travel restrictions, security, and the political situation under the Taliban shape everything you can or cannot see.