Herāt

Herāt (Persian: هرات), classically called the Aria, is a city in western Afghanistan, in the province also known as Herat. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. Situated in a fertile area, Herat was traditionally known for its wine. It is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 349,000 (2006 official estimate). Persian-speaking Tajiks (or Fārsīwān) are the main inhabitants of the city and the province, and are roughly the same as the Persians of Eastern Iran. Herat is an ancient city with many historic buildings, although these have suffered damage in various military conflicts during the last few decades. The city is dominated by the remains of a citadel constructed by Alexander the Great. During the Middle Ages Herāt became one of the important cities of Khorasan, and it was known as the Pearl of Khorasan. Herāt is situated favorably on the ancient and historic trade routes of the Middle East, South Asia, Pakistan, China, India and Europe. The roads from Herāt to Iran, Turkmenistan, Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar are still strategically important. These roads are being rebuilt by the Afghan government with international aid. Herat is the most important city to Afghanistan economically as it is the gateway to Iran and the city with the highest amount of customs revenue. Herāt dates back to ancient times, but its exact age remains unknown. In Achaemenid times (ca. 550-330 BC), the surrounding district was known as Haraiva (in Old Persian), and in classical sources the region was correspondingly known as Aria (Areia). In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the district is mentioned as Haroiva. The name of the district and its main town is derived from that of the chief river of the region, the Hari River (Old Iranian Harayu, "with velocity"), which traverses the district and passes some 5 km (3.1 mi) south of modern Herāt. From 1718 until 1863, there were various battles fought between the natives of the city and the Afghans until the city became part of present-day Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of Herāt in 1750, which became part of the Durrani Empire after almost a year of siege and bloody conflict. In 1824, the city became effectively independent when the country was split in three to resolve a succession struggle. The city was taken back by the Persians in 1852 and again in 1856; both times the British helped to reverse the attempt, the second time through the Anglo-Persian War. The city was taken by Dost Mohammed Khan in 1863, making it part of a broader "Afghan state”. Most of the Musallah complex in Herat was cleared in 1885 by the British army to get a good line of sight for their artillery against Russian invaders who never came. This was but one small sidetrack in the Great Game, a century-long conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in 19th century.

Jalalabad

Jalalabad (Persian: جلال اباد - Jalālābād; also known as Pashto: جلالکوټ - Jalālkot) is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul and Kunar rivers near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately 95 miles (153 km) of highway with Kabul to the west and about the same distance with Peshawar in Pakistan to the east.Jalalabad is the largest city in eastern Afghanistan as well as its social and business center of activity. Major industries include papermaking, as well agricultural products including oranges, rice, and sugarcane. Jalalabad is one of the leading trading centers with India and Pakistan. In 630 Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, arrived in Jalalabad and considered himself to have reached Hindustan. The city was a major center of Gandhara's Greco-Buddhist culture in the past until it was conquered by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century to the 10th century. In a 982 CE book called Hudud-al-Alam it mentions a village near modern Jalalabad where the local king used to have many Hindu, Muslim and Afghan wives. The original name of Jalalabad was Adinapur as also mentioned here: ' in the following year 1505, Babar meditated an incursion into India and proceeded by Jalalabad (then called Adinapur) and the Khaibar Pass to Peshawar.The modern city gained prominence during the reign of the Mughal emperor Babur. The founder of the Mughal Empire of India, Babur, had chosen the site for this city and the city was built by his grandson Jalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar in 1570. British troops were beseiged by Akbar Khan in the city in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War. Today the city is being rebuilt under NATO and UN direction after decades of war and has been receiving an influx of returning refugees largely from Pakistan. The city is considered one of the most important cities of the Pashtun culture.

Mazār-e Sharīf

Mazār-e Sharīf or Mazāri Sharīf (Persian: مزارِ شریف) is the fourth largest city of Afghanistan, with population of 300,600 people (2006 estimate). It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by roads to Kabul in the south-east, Herat to the west and Uzbekistan to the north. Mazari Sharif means "Noble Shrine," a reference to the large, blue-tiled sanctuary and mosque in the center of the city known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali or the Blue Mosque. It is believed by some Muslims that the site of the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, is in Mazari Sharif. Twelver Shi'as however, believe that the real grave of Ali is found within Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, as was disclosed by the Sixth Twelver Shi'a Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq. The city is a major tourist attraction because of its fabulous Muslim and Hellenistic archeological sites. In July 2006, the discovery of new Hellenistic remains was announced. The ethnic majority in the city are Tajiks. According to tradition, Mazari Sharif owes its existence to a dream. At the beginning of the 1100s, a local mullah had a dream in which Ali bin Abi Talib, the Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law and one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs appeared to reveal that he had been secretly buried near the city of Balkh. After investigation, the Seljuk sultan Sanjar ordered a city and shrine to be built on the spot, where it stood until its destruction by Genghis Khan. Although later rebuilt, Mazar stood in the shadow of its neighbor Balkh, until that city was abandoned in 1866 for health reasons.

Kandahar

Kandahar, also spelled Qandahar, : کندهار or قندهار) is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 324,800 (2006 estimate). It is the capital of Kandahar province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m (3,297 feet) above sea level. The Arghandab River runs right next to the city. Kandahar is a major trading center for sheep, wool, cotton, silk, felt, food grains, fresh and dried fruit, and tobacco. The region produces fine fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruit. Kandahar has an international airport and extensive road links with Farah and Herat to the west, Ghazni and Kabul to the northeast, Tarin Kowt to the north, and Quetta in Pakistan to the south. Many empires have long fought over the city, due to its strategic location along the trade routes of Southern and Central Asia. In 1748, Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Durrani Empire, made Kandahar the capital of Afghanistan. It is believed that Kandahar may have derived from the Pashto pronunciation of Alexandria, or Iskanderiya. A temple to the deified Alexander as well as an inscription in Greek and Aramaic by the Indian Emperor Ashoka, who lived a few decades later, have been discovered in the old citadel. An alternative etymology derives the name of the city from Gandhara, the name of an ancient kingdom and its capital city located between the Hindukush and Sulaiman Mountains (basically identical to the modern extend of the Pashtun-inhabited territories in Pakistan and Afghanistan), although Kandahar in modern times and the ancient Gandhara are not totally identical, geographically.

Kabul

Culture of Kabul has got a rich history. The cultural heritage of 5000 years is uniquely Afghan due to less contact with the outside world. Most of the population of Kabul live in the rural area. Kinship is very important for this patriarchal community. Above all religion plays the most important role in their life. People respect their tradition. Culture of Kabul is enriched by the great works of art. The archaeological sites reveal some of the great works of art that belong to the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. The traditional art is taking new form now a days. The paintings show influence of heart school of 15th century Timurid period. In 1930s the School of Fine Arts was established in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Timurid techniques are used even today in architecture specially while designing the exterior walls of tombs and mosques. Kabul is also known for the world famous Afghan carpets as well as copper utensils. Culture in Kabul shows that the theme of the theater are mainly drawn form daily life. Western influence is visible. But only European classics are being enacted. The renowned theaters are Qandahar, heart etc. In the field of music and dance traditional folk singing and dancing are gaining importance along with Indian and Western music. Attan dance is the national dance of the country. Kabul culture is enriched by the influence of various other cultures.

Clothing, Traditional Afghanistan

Traditionally, Afghan dress reflects ethnic diversity and the socio-cultural, historical, and geopolitical dynamics of the region. The country and its people are positioned at the crossroads between the Arab, Persian, Turkish, and Asian empires. Consequently, Afghan dress shows strong aesthetic connections to areas contiguous to its borders: the Arab and Islamic Middle East and Persia, the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and, to a lesser degree, Mughal India.
Since the 1920s, Afghanistan's leaders, in an effort to maintain control of both human and natural resources, have struggled with the definition of women's rights and independence as exemplified in the propriety of dress. Afghan dress also reflects other aspects of identity in a variety of inseparable yet interrelated ways: gendered and generational status; religious affiliation; rural and urban differences; stages of the life cycle; and everyday or special occasions. Afghan dress first and foremost distinguishes gender. Men wear tombaan, an overshirt (payraan), a hat or cap (kullaa), and footwear or boots. In addition to this basic ensemble, Afghan men wear a vest (waaskaat), another hat (pokool), and a shawl (shaal) during colder seasons.

Women customarily wear four items of dress: the pants (tombaan), an overdress (parahaan), a head covering (chaadar), and footwear (payzaar). This ensemble is referred to as kalaa Afghani, or Afghan women's dress.