Bazarak

Bazarak is the capital of Panjshir Province, a small town strung along the Panjshir River in the middle reaches of the valley, about 130 km north-east of Kabul by road. It lies at roughly 2,200 metres, hemmed in by steep mountainsides, with the river running fast and clear below the main road. The town is compact: a bazaar of shops, tea houses and workshops along the road, the provincial offices and schools, and houses spread up the slopes and along the riverbanks among mulberry and walnut trees. Villages continue almost without a break up and down the valley, so Bazarak feels less like a separate town than the busiest stretch of a long string of settlements. Its best-known landmark is the mausoleum of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the commander from the valley who died in 2001, which stands on a hill at Saricha above the river and draws visitors from across the country. Beyond that, Bazarak is a convenient base for exploring the middle valley, with walks into the side valleys, picnic places along the river and drives to the upper district centres.

Bazarak has long been one of the main settlements of the middle Panjshir, a market village where people from the surrounding side valleys came to trade; its name appears to mean 'little bazaar'. For most of its history it was a village within the wider valley, administered from Kabul and later as part of Parwan Province. When Panjshir became a province in 2004, Bazarak was chosen as its capital, and it has since grown with new government buildings, the paved road, schools and a larger bazaar. Ahmad Shah Massoud was buried at Saricha near the town after his death in 2001, and his mausoleum has become its best-known landmark. The valley around the town saw prolonged fighting in the late 20th century.

Dari is the language of Bazarak, and its people are predominantly Sunni Muslim. As the provincial capital, the town brings together people from all of Panjshir's districts, and the bazaar is a meeting place for news from up and down the valley. The mausoleum at Saricha is a place of visits and prayer for many Afghans, and families and groups from Kabul and elsewhere come to pay their respects, particularly on holidays. Local shrines, the mosques and the tea houses are the other centres of social life. At Nowruz and Eid, families picnic by the river and in the orchards, and weddings, usually after the harvest, bring relatives in from across the valley.

Bazarak sits on a narrow strip of level ground beside the Panjshir River, with mountains rising steeply on both sides; the high ridges keep their snow from autumn well into early summer. The river is broad and fast here, its water cold and clear, and footbridges cross it to villages on the far bank. Around the town, irrigated terraces of wheat and maize step up the lower slopes, shaded by mulberry, walnut, apricot and willow trees. Above the cultivated land the slopes are steep, rocky and dry, with scrub and spring flowers after the snow melts. Side valleys open into the mountains near the town, each with its own stream, and paths lead up them to high pastures.

The tea houses and small eating places in Bazarak's bazaar serve the dishes of a mountain town: shorwa, kebab, qabuli palaw, fried river fish and fresh bread, with green tea throughout the day. In summer, picnic places by the river, popular with visitors from Kabul, serve fish and kebab in the open air. The market sells local produce in season, especially fresh mulberries in early summer, then apricots, apples and walnuts, with dried mulberries and talkhan on sale all year. Dairy products from the valley's flocks, including yoghurt, qurut and butter, come into the bazaar from the surrounding villages.

Bazarak's bazaar is above all a practical market for the people of the valley, selling cloth, clothing, household goods, tools and food brought up from Kabul alongside local produce. Some traders deal in Panjshir's emeralds and other stones, but anyone buying gems should be confident of both the seller and the stone. Knitted woollen socks, gloves and caps from the surrounding villages, and embroidered caps and cloth made by local women, can sometimes be found in the bazaar, particularly as winter approaches. Bags of dried mulberries and walnuts are the most common thing visitors take home.

Bazarak is at its most pleasant from May to October. Late spring is green, with the river high and loud from the snowmelt and blossom in the orchards. June and July are warm in the daytime and cool at night, and the mulberry harvest is under way; this is also when visitors from Kabul come most often, especially on Fridays and holidays. Autumn, in September and October, is clear and calm, with golden poplars and harvested fields. Winter is long and cold: snow covers the town from about December to March, temperatures fall well below freezing, and the road up the valley, though kept open as far as possible, can be blocked for a time after heavy snow or avalanches.

Bazarak is about 130 km from Kabul, roughly two and a half to three hours by road. The route follows the highway north from Kabul towards Charikar, turns east to Gulbahar, and then enters the Panjshir valley through the gorge at its mouth, passing Anaba and Rokha before reaching Bazarak on a paved road that follows the river. From Charikar the drive takes about an hour and a half. Shared vehicles run regularly from Kabul and Gulbahar. Beyond Bazarak the road continues to the upper district centres, and in summer rough tracks lead on towards the Anjuman Pass and Badakhshan. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Bazarak has a small number of simple hotels and guesthouses, mostly along the main road and close to the river, used by Afghan travellers, officials and weekend visitors from Kabul. Rooms are basic, and heating, hot water and electricity can depend on the season and the local supply. Outside the town, the usual way to stay is as a guest in a village home, arranged through local contacts in advance. Because the valley is within reach of Kabul in a long day, many visitors do not stay overnight at all, while those who do are advised to arrange their room before arriving, especially on summer holidays when demand is highest.

Bazarak is small, and its bazaar and riverside can be explored on foot, though the town stretches along the road for some distance. Shared taxis and minibuses running up and down the valley stop at the bazaar and can be flagged down along the main road. For the mausoleum at Saricha, the side valleys and the upper district centres, most visitors use a hired car with a driver or a local taxi. Shared pick-ups serve villages off the main road. In the side valleys and on the tracks to the high pastures, people walk, and donkeys and horses carry loads where vehicles cannot go.