Badghis

This time ATIS wishes to take you to Badghis Province. Badghis is a forested province with green and rich hills and a fine place for agricultural activities. If you travel to Badghis in the spring, you will be astonished by the grassy and marvelous hills and particularly white and red flowers called "Gul Dokhtar." The Governor Office Magnificent fields in Badghis Province Beautiful fields in Badghis Province Badghis is a province with no proper access road Fields are permanently covered with wheat plant and at the end of the spring the time comes for farming melons and watermelons. Local farmers use donkeys and cows for agricultural purposes. Badghis is a mountainous province and lacks connecting roads. It covers an area of 23,000 km2 and shares border with Herat Province on the west, Faryab Province on the east, Turkmenistan on the north and Ghor Province on the south. The majority of population in Badghis consists of Tajik, Hazara and Pashtun ethnicities; although, other ethnic groups such as Uzbeks, Turkmens and Balochs also live in this province. Verdurous fields in Badghis Province A view of Badghis Province Farming melon, Badghis Province President Ashraf Ghani, Badghis Province Access to drinking water, Badghis Province Farmlands in Badghis Province Another view of beautiful fields in Badghis Province A woman wearing Burqa in Bazar, Badghis Province Children, Badghis Province Natural Landscapes Traveling from Herat towards Badghis Province you will notice natural beauties along the way. For sure, you will spot Sabzak Dam which is a marvelous and amazing place in Afghanistan enticing every visitor. When looking at it from a far distance you see small bowls inserted in a big one. In the same way, you can see valleys covered with trees resembling soldiers of an army standing side by side, wearing hats and holding swords in their hands and on black horses waiting for the command to attack the enemy. When you arrive to Sabzak Dam, you will see valleys and mountains. Sabzak Dam, Badghis Province Sabzak Dam, Badghis Province Laman Valley Laman Valley is a verdant valley with fresh mountains on both sides. Hills covered with different types of plants such as Gandomi that is farmed by local people. The deeper you go into the valley the more attractive it will get. Particularly, the tenets by herders and Kochis (nomads) and the animals surrounding their tents grazing. It should be said that people in Laman Valley live unpretentiously. All the things in this valley are organic; as if the time has stopped in this region, totally unaffected by modern world. It has maintained its initial look. The people in this valley believe that life is limited to this valley and the world ends out of Laman Valley. The Laman Valley is 50 km away from Qala-e-Naw, center of Badghis Province. But due to the absence of road you may spend about 3 hours to arrive in Qala-e-Naw. Villages near the mountains Badghis Districts 1. Qala-e-Naw District: Qala-e-Naw is the capital city of Badghis Province and is among provinces direly in need of rehabilitation and development. 2. Ab Kamari District: Ab Kamari District is located to the west of Badghis Province and Majority of the population in this district are from Hazara ethnic group. Atash, Ab Khodaye, Ilkhan, Anjir, Dozdanak, Kohna Qul, Khalifa and Papal are some of the villages in this district. Ab Kamari is famous for its pistachio Jungles. Providing drinking water for Ab Kamari District Qala-e-Naw City, Badghis Province Another view of Qala-e-Naw City, Badghis Province Security forces in Qala-e-Naw City 3. Jawand District: Jewand is the largest district in Badghis located to the southeast of the province. The population of the district is estimated to be 46,403 people. The district has 380 villages, most of which are located on high hills and mountains. Jawand District is situated to the southeast of Badghis Province 4. Ghormach District: Ghormach District is positioned to the north of Badghis Province and shares borders with Turkmenistan to the north, Qaisar District in Faryab Province to the east and Murghab District to the southwest. Ghormach is the center of this district. Important villages in this district include Abgarmak, Arzank, Do Aabi, Ghorband, Husain, Joy-e-sheer, Kariz, Khatun, Khoshaki, Pamakhto, Pato, Rangin, Rashid, Sertikt, Sorion, Sanjidak and Sharshari. Security forces in Ghormach District 5. Muqur District: Muqur District shares border with Qala-e-Naw District in the east, Qadis District in the south, Murghab District in the southeast and part of Turkmenistan Port in the north. The district is located in a breathtaking valley alongside a river passing through mountains. Muqur District, Badghis Province Old castles in Muqur District, Badghis Province Another view of old castles in Muqur District Kochi tent, Muqur District 6. Qadis District: Qadis District is situated to the south of Badghis Province. It shares border with Jewand District to the east, Qala-e-Naw, Muqur and Murghab Districts to the west and Sabzak Dam to the south and connects the district to Herat Province. The center of the district is called Qadis. It can be stated that Qadis District has a very pleasant weather. Flood in Qadis District 7. Bala Murghab District: Bala Murghab District is positioned to the north of Badghis Province and shares border with Turkmenistan in the north and Faryab Province to the east. Majority of the population in this province are herders. Also, there are countless pistachio gardens in this district. Bala Murghab District A river in Bala Murghab District Bala Murghab District, Badghis Province A village in Bala Murghab District A flock of sheep in Bala Murghab District

Badghis has been known by that name since at least the early Islamic period, when Arab and Persian geographers described it as a pastoral region of Khorasan between Herat and Merv. In late antiquity it was held by the Hephthalites and then by local princes, who resisted the Arab armies for some decades in the 7th and early 8th centuries. Through the medieval centuries Badghis was closely tied to Herat and shared that city's fortunes under the Ghaznavids, the Seljuks, the Ghurids, the Mongols and the Timurids. In the 18th and 19th centuries the area was home to Aimaq and other communities whose chiefs owed loyalty to Herat and later to Kabul. In the 1880s, after a crisis between Russia and Britain over the nearby oasis of Panjdeh, the province's northern border was surveyed and fixed by a joint boundary commission. In recent decades Badghis has been affected by conflict and by repeated drought.

Dari is widely spoken across Badghis, with Pashto, Uzbek and Turkmen spoken in some districts, especially in the north. The population includes Aimaq, Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen and other communities, many of them living in villages of farmers and herders. Most people are Muslim, and village mosques and the shrines of local saints are at the centre of community life. Hospitality is a strong value, and guests are welcomed with tea, bread and whatever the household can offer. Nowruz marks the coming of spring, with family picnics on the green hills, and the two Eids are the main festivals of the year. Weddings bring music and dancing, with the dutar and the dambura, and wrestling and horse games, including buzkashi, are played at gatherings and on holidays.

Badghis is a land of open, rolling hills of loess, cut by seasonal streams and broad valleys. In spring, after the winter rains, the hills are covered in grass and wild flowers and offer rich grazing for the flocks of sheep and goats that are central to the local economy. By summer the land is dry and brown, and the winds that give the province its name sweep dust across the hills. The province is known for its woodlands of wild pistachio trees, which grow scattered across the hills and are a valuable source of income when the nuts are gathered in late summer; they are under pressure from cutting, grazing and drought. The Murghab River crosses the north-east of the province, and the south rises into higher mountains with cooler valleys and summer pastures. Much of the farming relies on rain-fed wheat, which leaves the province vulnerable when the rains fail.

Food in Badghis is the plain, filling food of a farming and herding region. Bread baked in tandoor ovens is eaten with every meal, alongside dairy products such as yoghurt, butter, qaymaq and qurut, which is used to make qurutab and other dishes. Mutton is eaten on special occasions, often as palaw or in shorwa. Pistachios gathered from the province's hills are the best-known local produce, eaten fresh in season and sold in large quantities to traders. Melons, watermelons and grapes are grown in the irrigated valleys, and wheat and barley are the staple crops. Tea, both green and black, is drunk throughout the day with sugar or sweets, and a guest is rarely allowed to leave without a cup.

Badghis is not a major craft centre, but weaving is part of life in many villages. Aimaq and Turkmen families weave carpets, kilims and woven bags, often for their own homes, and some of these reach the bazaars of Qala-e-Naw and Herat. Felt rugs made from the wool of local flocks are used in many households. In the district bazaars the goods on sale are mainly everyday ones, such as cloth, clothing, household items and food, with some rugs, kilims and woollen goods from the villages. Visitors interested in the carpets of the region usually find a wider choice in the larger markets of Herat.

Spring, from late March to May, is the best season to see Badghis, when the hills are green and in flower and the weather is mild. Autumn, in September and October, is also pleasant, with cooler weather and the end of the pistachio and fruit harvest. Summers are hot and dry, with strong winds and dust, though nights are cooler than on the lower plains. Winters are cold, with snow on the higher ground and at times in the valleys, and rain and snowmelt can make unpaved roads impassable for days. The higher passes on the roads into the province may be difficult in winter.

Most travellers reach Badghis from Herat. The road north-east from Herat to Qala-e-Naw crosses the hills by the Sabzak Pass and covers roughly 150 kilometres, usually taking around four hours. Herat itself is reached from Kabul by the long road through Kandahar, or by domestic flight. To the east, a road links Qala-e-Naw with Bala Murghab and on to Faryab, but much of it has long been unpaved and slow. Roads to the remote districts are rough tracks that can be closed by rain or snow. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Accommodation in the province is concentrated in Qala-e-Naw, and even there it is limited to a few simple places. Many visitors prefer to base themselves in Herat, which has a much wider choice, and travel to Badghis from there. Outside the capital there are no hotels. In the district centres, travellers may find a room in a tea house or a place to sleep on the floor, and in the villages they are hosted by families according to local custom, best arranged in advance through local contacts. Conditions are very basic, with little or no electricity and cold nights for much of the year.

Shared taxis and minibuses run between Qala-e-Naw and Herat, and less often to the district centres, leaving from stands in town when they have filled. Services to the more remote districts may not run every day. Travel to the outlying districts is slow over unpaved roads, and a sturdy vehicle with a local driver is needed. In the countryside, people travel by motorbike or on horseback, and donkeys carry goods and water along paths between villages. After heavy rain in spring, some routes may be impassable for a time.