Journeys
Around Afghanistan
Undiscovered Beauty
~ by Brandy Bauer
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October
2005
Sometimes people
ask me about what it’s like to live in Afghanistan, expecting a revelation
of sorts as to how some people are able to forge a life here. And while
there’s no surefire guarantee how you will react to the place, what I have
learned is this: in Afghanistan, what looks outwardly simple often belies
a complexity that only surfaces upon careful consideration. Take the Hindu
Kush, for example. From the country’s capital, Kabul, these mountains appear
like cardboard cut-outs, deceptively close to the city and almost painted
with neat caps of snow. But take the winding, bumpy road out of Kabul and
you realize how monumentally towering they become, and how those tiny mounds
of snow are catastrophes waiting to trap your vehicle along deadly switchback
grades.
Having resided
in Kabul for nearly two years now, I thought I “knew” Afghanistan by having
experienced the ins and outs of its capital city. Now, after merely scratching
the surface of some of Afghanistan’s other provinces, I realize how wrong
I was - to assume that Kabul is the real Afghanistan is like calling New
York the real America; it misses the nuances, the rich history and the
diverse landscape of this amazing country. Here are a few of the sometimes
overlooked places Afghanistan has to offer both the resident and casual
visitor (and indeed, visitors there are–albeit very few):
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Brandy
in Buddhist caves.
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Samangan
You may be
familiar with the name Bamyan and the infamous footage of the now-destroyed
Buddhas, but central Afghanistan also has many other untouched relics of
a Buddhist past. Samangan, for instance, boasts a provincial capital (called
Aybak) that is a green oasis among brown hills and a perfect stopping point
for the long drive between the capital and the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in
the north.
Ask a local
for directions to Takht-i Rustam (literally, “the throne of Rustam”, a
reference to the ancient Book of Kings from Persian folklore) and you’ll
be led to a series of hillside caves from where you can get a fantastic
view of Aybak city–brown mud homes set amid a lush green valley. The caves
themselves originated in the fourth or fifth century AD, and range in size
to the quite small (a private bath, the local tour guide tells me) to a
lengthy network of domed archways. There are few tourists or even locals
here…chances are, you won’t have any competition to quietly contemplate
the universe from these surroundings and do a little Zen meditation of
your own.
Tashkurgan
Further north,
beyond a stunningly beautiful gorge and near Afghanistan’s border with
Uzbekistan, lies the small town of Tashkurgan. Few foreigners make it to
this place, and a walk through the winding maze of the main road will bring
the attention of delighted residents, some milling about shopping for fruit
and vegetables, others taking a leisurely stroll in horse-drawn carriages.
Stop at any of the shops and pick up the fresh round naan (flatbread) characteristic
of this region, or bargain for some blue lacquered serving bowls.
One of the
main attractions in Tashkurgan is a royal summer palace that rests along
the outskirts of town. Outside, a quiet reflecting pool amid a row of pine
trees is only disturbed by a group of young boys taking a late summer plunge.
Inside are rooms whose only palatial grandeur is in their size and the
light coming in from the windows. This is the perfect venue for a picnic,
if you can find a space amid the locals.
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Tranquility:
the quiet peace of Tashkurgan.
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As
elsewhere in Afghanistan, everywhere the refuse of war invades the serene
landscape. In what used to be the palace stables, Soviet propaganda litters
the walls.
Behind the
palace wall, an abandoned tank rests in fields flanking red-tinged mountains.
The region’s natives don’t seem to mind, however, riding their bicycles
along at a steady pace without batting an eye.
Herat
Perhaps the
city most evocative of ancient Persia, Herat lies in western Afghanistan,
bordering Iran. For the casual tourist, this is the place to go. There’s
more to do and see in Herat than in any other Afghan city, and with a lot
less traffic and wide, tree-lined boulevards, the atmosphere invites a
casual stroll.
The center
of Herat city boasts two extraordinary structures. The elegant blue minarets
of the Friday/Blue Mosque can be seen from around the city, and beg for
a closer look. This mosque, built in the thirteenth century, features a
gorgeous array of blue tile flowers, viewed best from the interior courtyard
of the mosque (be sure to remove your shoes first).
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If
Herat were in monochrome, blue would be its chosen color…one of the city’s
most famous exports is handblown blue glass shaped into vases and cups
that range in hue from aquamarine to deep navy - all for the ridiculously
low price of around a dollar per item. Just next to the Blue Mosque is
a street boasting several glass shops, as well as traditional carpet sellers.
A network of alleyways snake off from the western side of the mosque through
the city’s bazaar, tempting the visitor into archways promising rich velour
fabrics, succulent pomegranates and copper bowls. Here too the astonishing
blue-green eyes of the Indo-Aryans are also on display among the locals.
Just past the
bazaar is the other centrally located tourist attraction – the ancient
Citadel. Historians argue that a fort/citadel has been on this same site
since Alexander the Great’s foray into the region around 330 BC. The current
citadel is only a few centuries younger, and still an impressive structure,
with more than a dozen mud-brick round towers, some retaining their original
blue calligraphic tile.
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Herat,
too, seems to be more catered to a tourist industry than other Afghan cities.
Two hotels stand out as popular among natives and foreigners - the Marco
Polo has good sized rooms in a central location, while the Green Palace
sports a large garden for guests to relax in.
Outside the
city itself, Herat hosts several other attractions, from the Sufi shrine
at Gazar Gah to the slightly off-center minarets of the Musalla Complex.
Any of these are a short taxi ride from the center of the city.
Paghman
For those of
us who don’t get to visit northern and western Afghanistan as often as
we’d like, Paghman is where Kabul residents get their taste of the countryside.
This suburban district was once the summer playground of Kabul elites.
Pictures of Paghman in the 1930s and 40s display Viennese style country
homes, in which one imagines a Debussy record playing on the living room
victrola.
The sad reality
is that Paghman was also on the front line of fighting during the civil
war years, and those beautiful European-style homes were almost all leveled
and torched beyond recognition. War tourism aside, there is a significant
effort underway to restore the central Paghman gardens to their previous
glory. Fridays are still popular with the locals for picnicking, so if
you decide to venture out on that day, you might struggle to find a secluded
patch of green. Walk beyond the main picnic gardens, however, and you can
come to a cool river bed where men comb sheep’s wool for mattresses beside
the stream.
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intricate blue tilework of Herat's Blue Mosque. |
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While Afghanistan
attempts to carve out a democratic state after more than two decades of
war, tourism is still largely underdeveloped and planned for. And though
there are swaths of the country that are still no-go due to conflict, much
of the country’s charm is in its still undiscovered beauty. For those of
us who have the pleasure to live here, we wouldn’t want it any other way.
The following
are Brandy's previous articles for the magazine:
 Beautiful
Downtown...Islamabad?! ~
Pakistan
The
Warm Pleasures Of Cold ~ Iceland
Offseason
Esfahan
nesf-e jahan ~ Half the World ~ A Woman's Sojourn to the Islamic Republic
of Iran -
Sojourn
to Iran
Kabul,
Kabul ~ Living
In Afghanistan
To contact
Brandy Click Here
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