Taliban Bans Naming Public Places After Individuals Across Afghanistan
The Taliban administration has decided to rename all places and roads across Afghanistan that were previously named after individuals. This directive comes from Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and under this order, no public place will henceforth be named after any person.
Habib Ghofran, spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture, announced on Tuesday, October 7, that the village of “Abbas” in Kabul’s District 6 has been renamed to its former name, “Qala-e Haidar Khan.” He also stated that decisions regarding changing the names of “Shaheed Arif Khan Intersection” in Kunduz city and “Arman Group Intersection” in Maymana are currently under review.
The Taliban group had previously made similar changes to official and public names, but this new decision, which universally prohibits naming places after individuals, has provoked widespread concern. This move comes even as a large mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif was recently named after the Taliban leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, raising further questions about the real intentions behind this policy.
Analysts believe this decision is part of the Taliban administration’s efforts to erase cultural, historical, and political symbols from past eras and to impose forced uniformity on Afghanistan’s collective memory. In the absence of a legal framework and inclusive participation, such changes typically disregard public approval and reflect the political desires of Taliban leaders rather than addressing the actual needs of the society.
