Farah

Farah is the capital of Farah province in western Afghanistan. The town lies at about 650 m beside the Farah Rud, where the river spreads its water across a plain of fields and gardens before continuing south-west towards the Hamun wetlands. Beyond the irrigated land, gravel desert stretches away in every direction, and low hills rise to the north-east. It is a modest provincial town of low mud-brick and concrete buildings, with government offices, schools, mosques and a long main bazaar where traders sell goods from Herat, Kandahar and Iran. Trees along the canals and in walled gardens give some shade, and in the evening people gather at tea houses along the main streets once the heat has eased. The most striking sight is the remains of old mud-brick fortifications on the edge of town, which recall the much older walled settlement that stood here. Farah is a practical stop for travellers on the road between Herat and Kandahar and a base for exploring the river valleys and ruins of the province, and its bazaar gives a good picture of everyday life in the oasis towns of the west.

A settlement has stood on this stretch of the Farah Rud since ancient times. Many historians identify the town with Phra, recorded by classical writers on the road through Drangiana, and with Alexandria Prophthasia, one of the towns associated with the campaign of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. In the medieval period Farah was a walled town on the routes linking Herat, Sistan and Kandahar, and its fortunes rose and fell with those of the dynasties that held the region. The remains of its old fortifications, much eroded, still stand on the edge of the present town. Over the 20th century the town grew as the administrative centre of the province, with new roads, offices and schools. Its place on the river and near the main highway keeps it a meeting point for traders and travellers from across the west and south of the country.

Pashto and Dari are both spoken in the streets of Farah, and many residents also follow the Persian of neighbouring Iran through trade, television and family ties. The town's mosques are the centre of community life, and the call to prayer marks the rhythm of the day. Eid brings families out in their best clothes to visit relatives and the graves of the dead, and Nowruz is celebrated with picnics in the gardens and along the river. Weddings are lively occasions with music and dancing, including the attan, the Pashtun circle dance, and songs in both Dari and Pashto. On Fridays the bazaar quietens for the midday prayer, and in the evenings the tea houses are where news and opinions are exchanged.

The town sits on a broad plain beside the Farah Rud, whose waters are drawn off by canals to irrigate wheat fields, vegetable plots and orchards around the town. Lines of trees follow the canals and give the outskirts a green fringe that contrasts sharply with the bare desert beyond. The river changes through the year, running full in spring with snowmelt from the Ghor highlands and shrinking to a modest stream or a string of pools by late summer. Low hills rise to the north-east, while to the south and west the plain stretches towards the Hamun basin. Dust storms carried by the summer wind of 120 days are a regular feature of the hot months.

The kebab sellers and small restaurants of the bazaar serve the staples of the west and south: kebab with fresh tandoor bread, qabuli palaw, shorwa, and stews of beans and vegetables. Breakfast is often bread with cream, eggs or cheese and sweet green or black tea. Summer is melon season, and the bazaar fills with melons and watermelons from the surrounding farms, followed by grapes and pomegranates in autumn. Dried fruit and nuts, sweets, biscuits and other packaged foods from Iran are sold in the shops along the main street. Bread from the tandoor bakeries of the town is bought fresh each morning and evening.

Farah is not a major craft centre, and its bazaar is mainly a place for everyday shopping: cloth and ready-made clothing, shoes, household goods, tools, mobile phones and food, much of it imported through Iran or brought from Herat. Rugs, kilims and woven bags made by village women in the surrounding districts, often in Baluch-style designs, are sometimes on sale, along with embroidered caps and clothing. Prayer mats, cooking pots and tea sets are among the goods visitors are likely to find. For a wider choice of carpets and crafts, most buyers go on to the larger bazaars of Herat.

Winter days in Farah city are mild and bright, and from November to March walking around the town and its gardens is comfortable for most of the day. Evenings are cool and nights in December and January can be cold, so warm layers are useful. The short spring in March and April is the greenest time, with fields around the town in leaf and families out for Nowruz. In summer, temperatures regularly pass 40°C and dust from the wind of 120 days often hangs over the town; shops open early, many people rest through the afternoon, and the streets fill again after sunset. By late October the heat has eased and autumn fruit fills the bazaar.

Farah lies a short distance west of the main Kandahar–Herat highway and is joined to it by a branch road. From Herat the journey is about 270 km, roughly five hours, and from Kandahar about 420 km, a long day's drive through Helmand. Farah's airport (FAH), close to the town, has been served by domestic flights, which shorten the trip from Kabul considerably. Shared taxis and minibuses to Herat, Kandahar and Delaram leave from stands near the main bazaar when full. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Farah city has a handful of hotels and guesthouses, most of them simple, offering basic rooms. They are concentrated along the main road and around the central bazaar, convenient for the bus and taxi stands. Facilities such as reliable hot water, heating and air conditioning vary, and electricity can be intermittent. There are no international-standard hotels. Visitors with local contacts are often hosted by families, which is the customary way of welcoming guests in the region. Many travellers on the road between Herat and Kandahar break the journey here only for a meal and continue the same day.

Farah is small enough that much of the centre can be covered on foot. Motor rickshaws, known as zaranj, are the main public transport within the town and can be hired for short trips or by the hour. Motorbikes are very common, and taxis, usually saloon cars, wait near the bazaar. To visit villages, the river valley or ruins outside the town, it is best to hire a car with a driver, preferably a four-wheel-drive vehicle for desert tracks. Shared taxis to the district centres leave from stands around the main bazaar once all their seats are filled.