Chakari (Cakaray, Chakaray) was a village in Khaki Jabbar District, Kabul Province, Afghanistan. In the 1990s during the Afghan Civil War large portions of it were destroyed, and many people left. As of 2002 many of the former inhabitants had not returned.
Minaret of Chakari, 1936
A Buddhist pillar, known as the "Minaret of Chakari" was located there, and appears to have given the village its name. It was built in the 1st century AD. The pillar was heavily damaged during the Afghan Civil War, and was subsequently destroyed by the hardline Taliban regime in March 1998.
In the 20th century, the inhabitants of the village were known for their expertise in breeding mules.
^"Minaret of Chakari"Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Programme Management Information System Office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan, via Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with photograph
^Ball, W.; McNicoll, A. W.; Rao, G. K. (1990) "The Minar-i Chakari: report on the Society's preservation work" South Asian Studies (London) 6: pp. 229-239
^Dorneich, Christof M. (1999) Minar-i Chakari: Afghanistan's lost and unsolved architectural riddle of great antiquity (Spach library series #3) Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage, Pestawar, Pakistan, page 12, OCLC247507395, a translation of Dorneich, Christof M. (1968) Minar-i Tschakari : illustrierte Studie zur Geschichte und Kunstgeschichte der beiden buddhistischen Säulen bei Kabul University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
^Hunt, Luke (2 September 1999) "Afghan relics turn to dust amid war and neglect" Agence France Presse, via Lexis/Nexis subscription service
