Faryab

Faryab Province lies in north-western Afghanistan, bordering Turkmenistan to the north and west, Jowzjan to the east, Sar-e Pol to the south-east, Ghor to the south and Badghis to the south-west. Its northern districts are flat steppe and semi-desert, while the south rises into the hills and mountains of the Band-e Turkestan range, cut by river valleys where much of the population lives. The capital, Maymana, lies in the southern hills, in a green valley at around 870 metres. Andkhoy, in the north close to the Turkmen border, is the other main town and has long been a centre of the carpet and karakul trade. Other districts include Daulatabad, Shirin Tagab, Qaysar, Almar and Pashtun Kot, each with its own market town. Faryab is one of the heartlands of Uzbek and Turkmen culture in Afghanistan, and its bazaars, carpets, music and buzkashi reflect that. It is also an important farming province, producing wheat, melons and livestock. Visitors are few, but those who come find a region of open landscapes, busy markets and strong traditions of hospitality, linked by road to Sheberghan and Mazar-i-Sharif to the east and by a border crossing to Turkmenistan at Aqina in the north.

Faryab takes its name from a medieval town of the region of Guzganan, and its valleys lay on the routes that linked Balkh with Herat and Merv across the north of Afghanistan. Under the Samanids, Ghaznavids and Seljuks the area was part of the wider region of Khorasan, until the Mongol invasions of the 13th century devastated the towns of the north. From the 18th century, as larger empires receded, Maymana and Andkhoy became the seats of Uzbek principalities, two of the Chahar Wilayat, or Four Provinces, whose khans were caught between the rival ambitions of Bukhara, Herat and Kabul. Both were brought under Afghan rule in the later 19th century. In the same period, the frontier with the Russian Empire was surveyed and fixed along the province's northern edge. In the 20th century the province took its present name and shape. Like much of the north, it has been affected by the conflicts of recent decades.

Uzbek is widely spoken across Faryab, alongside Dari, Turkmen and Pashto, and the population includes Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Pashtun, Aimaq and other communities. Most people are Muslim, and village mosques and the shrines of local saints are at the centre of community life. The province has a strong tradition of Uzbek and Turkmen music, poetry and storytelling, kept alive at weddings and gatherings in the villages that can last late into the night. Nowruz is celebrated with fairs, family outings to the countryside and the preparation of samanak, a sweet pudding of sprouted wheat that groups of women stir through the night. Buzkashi is followed with passion across the province, and matches with dozens of riders are held on open fields around Maymana and Andkhoy through the winter and early spring. Wrestling is also popular at holidays and fairs.

Faryab spans two very different landscapes. The north, around Andkhoy, Qaramqol and Daulatabad, is flat steppe and semi-desert on the edge of the Karakum, with sand dunes and scattered oases where wells and canals allow farming. Sheep, goats and camels graze the open ground, and the land is green only briefly after the spring rains. To the south, the land rises through rolling loess hills into the Band-e Turkestan mountains, from which rivers flow north before fading into the plains. The hills are farmed for rain-fed wheat, and in a good spring they are covered in grass and wild flowers. Higher up, herders take their flocks to summer pastures, and the valleys hold villages with orchards and gardens. The province's dependence on rain-fed farming makes it vulnerable in years of drought.

Faryab's food draws on Uzbek and Turkmen traditions. Palaw, cooked with lamb, carrots and raisins or chickpeas in a large cauldron, is the centrepiece of any feast and is often prepared in large quantities for weddings and community gatherings. Mantu, ashak and noodle dishes are common, as are shorwa and kebabs in the bazaars. The province's herds supply mutton, yoghurt, butter and qurut, and its fields produce wheat and, in the north, melons and watermelons that are sold across the region in late summer. Bread from the tandoor accompanies every meal. Green tea is drunk throughout the day, and guests are welcomed with a spread of tea, bread, sweets, dried fruit and nuts laid out on a cloth on the floor.

Faryab is one of the main carpet-producing provinces of Afghanistan. Andkhoy has long been a centre of the carpet trade, with weavers in the town and the surrounding Turkmen villages producing rugs with tribal gul patterns in deep reds and browns, and dealers buying for markets across the country. Daulatabad has given its name to a well-known style of Afghan Turkmen rug. Karakul skins from the province's sheep have been traded through Andkhoy for generations, and hats, coats and pelts are sold in the bazaars. Other crafts include kilims, embroidered textiles in Uzbek style, felt, woven bags and Turkmen silver jewellery.

The best seasons are spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November. In spring the hills of the south are green and full of flowers, the weather is mild, and Nowruz brings fairs and buzkashi. In autumn the summer heat eases and the harvest fills the markets. Summer is hot across the province and very hot on the northern plains around Andkhoy, where temperatures can rise above 40°C and dust storms are common; the higher valleys around Maymana are a little more bearable. Winters are cold, with frost, snow at times, and mud on unpaved roads, and the mountain districts in the south can be cut off by snow.

Most road travellers reach Faryab from the east, along the main highway from Mazar-i-Sharif to Sheberghan, from where roads lead on to Andkhoy in the north and Maymana in the south. From Kabul, via the Salang Pass and Mazar-i-Sharif, the journey to Maymana is roughly 750 kilometres and takes about 13 hours or more. Maymana's airport has been served by domestic flights from Kabul and other cities. To the west, a road leads on from Maymana towards Badghis and Herat, but parts of it are rough and slow. In the north, Aqina, near Andkhoy, is a border crossing into Turkmenistan. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Maymana has the province's widest choice of accommodation, though it is modest, and it is the natural base for travel in Faryab. Andkhoy and the larger district towns have only a few simple places to stay, mainly used by traders and drivers on the roads to the border. Elsewhere in the province, options are very limited. Roadside tea houses offer a meal and sometimes a place to sleep, and in the villages travellers are usually hosted by local families, following the traditions of hospitality that are strong throughout the north. Such stays are best arranged in advance through local contacts, and visitors should expect basic conditions.

Shared taxis and minibuses connect Maymana with Andkhoy, Sheberghan and the district centres, departing from stands in the towns once they are full. They are the usual way for local people to travel between towns, and they run most frequently in the morning. To reach outlying districts and villages, especially in the hills of the south, it is best to hire a car with a local driver, as roads can be rough and unmarked. In the countryside, motorbikes, horses and donkeys remain common for local travel, and in the northern steppe camels are still used by some herding families.