Asadabad

Asadabad is the capital of Kunar province and the main town of the Kunar valley. It stands at the confluence of the Kunar River and the Pech River, which flows in from the west, at an elevation of around 840 metres. Jalalabad lies about 95 kilometres down the valley by road, and steep, partly wooded mountains rise on all sides. The town is small and close-knit. Its centre is a long bazaar along the main road, lined with shops, teahouses, workshops and vehicle stands, and around it lie government offices, schools, a hospital, mosques and residential quarters of family compounds climbing the lower slopes. Bridges link the town with the villages on the far bank of the river. As the seat of the provincial administration and the main market for the valley, Asadabad draws people from the districts up and down the Kunar and from the Pech valley. Farmers bring produce, timber and livestock, and traders supply goods from Jalalabad and Pakistan. For visitors, the town offers a view of daily life in a mountain valley of the east, and it is the natural base for exploring the surrounding countryside and the side valleys that open off it.

Asadabad was formerly known as Chaghasarai, a name still found on older maps and in histories of the region. It grew as a market and river crossing where the Pech valley meets the main Kunar valley, a position that made it a natural meeting point for traders and travellers moving between the lower valley, the mountains of Nuristan and the routes north towards Chitral. In the 20th century it became the administrative centre of Kunar, and government buildings, schools and other services were established there as the province took shape. The town has been affected by the conflicts of recent decades, which brought periods of fighting and displacement. In more recent years Asadabad has grown, as families from remote valleys have settled closer to its markets, schools and health services.

Pashto is the language of Asadabad's bazaar, and people from the side valleys bring Pashai and Nuristani languages to its markets; Dari is understood by many officials and traders. The town is conservative and religious, with mosques at the centre of each neighbourhood, and Friday prayers draw large congregations. Social life for men revolves around the bazaar, the mosque and the teahouse, while family life takes place within walled compounds. Visitors are expected to dress modestly and to ask before photographing people, particularly women. Eid is the main celebration, with new clothes, family visits and crowded markets. Weddings bring music on the dhol and surna, and the attan dance. Cricket and volleyball are played on open ground and in schoolyards, and the riverbanks are a favourite place to spend summer evenings.

Asadabad lies in a narrow part of the Kunar valley, hemmed in by steep mountains whose lower slopes are dry and rocky and whose higher ridges carry forests of oak, pine and cedar. The Kunar River runs swift and grey-green past the town, and the Pech River enters from the west, cutting a deep valley of its own into the mountains towards Nuristan. Small irrigated fields of rice, maize and wheat, along with orchards and stands of mulberry and walnut, fill the flat ground beside the rivers and climb in terraces up the slopes around the town. In spring the surrounding mountains are streaked with snow above the green valley floor. The riverbanks and the confluence are the town's natural open spaces, and the views up the Pech and Kunar valleys give a sense of the forested country that lies beyond.

Asadabad's bazaar sells the produce of the valley: rice and maize, seasonal fruit such as mulberries, apricots, pomegranates and citrus, walnuts, honey and, in autumn, pine nuts from the forests of the surrounding mountains. Ghee, butter and yoghurt come in from the villages. The town's teahouses and small restaurants serve simple meals of rice, qorma stew, beans and kebab with fresh naan, and fish from the Kunar River is fried and sold in the bazaar, especially in winter. Qabuli palaw is a dish for guests and celebrations. Green tea is served everywhere, and in summer yoghurt drinks and fresh fruit juice are popular. Hospitality is generous, and visitors invited into a home may be served several dishes at once.

Asadabad's bazaar is mostly practical, but it is a good place to see the woodworking for which the Kunar and Nuristan valleys are known. Carpenters make doors, window frames, beds, chairs and chests from local timber, some with carved geometric decoration, and timber for building is sold in the town. Other shops sell cloth, ready-made clothing, embroidered caps, shoes and household goods, mostly brought from Jalalabad and Pakistan. Smiths make and repair tools, knives and cooking pots, and tailors sew clothes to order. There is no dedicated craft market, and visitors looking for carpets, jewellery or other well-known Afghan handicrafts will find a wider choice in Jalalabad or Kabul.

Asadabad is warm for most of the year. Winters are mild in the town, with cool nights, some rain and snow on the surrounding mountains, while summers are hot and can be humid, with afternoon temperatures often above 35°C. Spring, from March to May, is the most attractive time to visit. The valley floor is green, the fruit trees blossom, and the rivers swell with snowmelt; Nowruz falls at the start of the season. Autumn, from September to November, brings clearer and more settled weather, harvest work in the fields around the town and pine nuts in the bazaar. Heavy rain and snowmelt can occasionally bring floods or landslides that block the valley road for a time, particularly in spring, so plans should allow for delays.

Most travellers reach Asadabad from Jalalabad, about 95 kilometres to the south-west, on the road that follows the Kunar valley upstream; the drive usually takes around two hours. From Kabul, the journey via Jalalabad covers around 245 kilometres and takes about five hours. Shared taxis and minibuses run between Jalalabad and Asadabad through the day and arrive at stands along the main road through town. From Asadabad, roads continue north up the Kunar valley towards Asmar and the northern districts, and west up the Pech valley towards Nuristan; travel on these is slower and the surfaces rougher. There is no airport; the nearest is at Jalalabad. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Asadabad has only a few places to stay. Simple hotels and guesthouses are found along the main road and near the bazaar, with basic rooms used mainly by traders, drivers and people visiting government offices. Some can provide meals, and others are close to teahouses that serve food through the day. Facilities are modest: shared bathrooms, limited hot water and an unreliable power supply are common, and air conditioning cannot be counted on in summer. Visitors who prefer more comfort often stay in Jalalabad and make the journey up the valley as a long day trip. Those with local contacts are frequently invited to stay with families, in keeping with the strong tradition of hospitality in the region.

The centre of Asadabad is small enough to walk, and the bazaar along the main road is best explored on foot. Motorised rickshaws and motorcycles cover longer distances within town and cross the bridges to the villages on the other bank. Shared taxis and minibuses leave from stands on the main road for Jalalabad and the district centres, and pickups and four-wheel-drive vehicles head up the Pech valley and into the northern districts, often loaded with goods as well as passengers. A private car with a driver, arranged through a hotel or local contact, is the easiest way to make day trips up the valleys around the town.