Jalalabad

Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province and the largest city in eastern Afghanistan. It stands on the south side of the Kabul River, close to its confluence with the Kunar River, at an elevation of under 600 metres, which makes it one of the warmest cities in the country. Kabul is about 150 kilometres to the west by road, and the Pakistan border at Torkham lies to the east. The city has long been known for its gardens, its palms and citrus trees, and its mild winters. Trees shade many of the older streets, and houses stand in walled compounds with orange and pomegranate trees. Around the centre, crowded bazaars sell fruit, cloth, household goods and imports brought along the trade road from Pakistan. Jalalabad is the commercial hub of the whole eastern region, serving Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan as well as Nangarhar. It is also a centre of education: Nangarhar University, one of the older universities in the country, is based here. Newer suburbs and planned residential areas have spread out along the main roads. Visitors come for the winter sunshine, the spring blossom and the life of the bazaars, and the city is the starting point for trips to the Buddhist site of Hadda and up the Kunar valley.

The present city was founded in the 16th century by the Mughal emperor Akbar, whose name, Jalal ud-Din, it carries; 1570 is the year usually given. It grew up near the remains of much older settlements, for the plain around it had been an important Buddhist centre many centuries before. In the 19th and 20th centuries Jalalabad served as a winter residence for Afghan rulers, valued for its warm climate and gardens. During the First Anglo-Afghan War a British garrison held the town through a long siege in 1841 and 1842. Amir Habibullah Khan spent many winters here and was buried in Jalalabad after his death in 1919. His son, King Amanullah Khan, who died in exile, was later buried beside him, and their mausoleum stands in a garden in the city. The Pashtun leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was also buried in Jalalabad, in 1988, in accordance with his wishes.

Pashto is the everyday language of Jalalabad's streets and bazaars, and Dari is widely spoken and understood, especially among traders, officials and people who have moved from other parts of the country. Families from all over the east live in the city, and its long ties with Peshawar, across the border, show in its shops, food and music. Friday is the main day of rest, when the mosques fill for midday prayers and families visit relatives or gardens on the edge of town. Eid brings new clothes, visits and crowded markets. In spring, when the orange trees flower, people from Kabul and other provinces come down to enjoy the scent and the warmth, and picnics and poetry gatherings are popular. Cricket dominates sport, and the city has a large cricket stadium on its outskirts as well as many informal pitches in parks and on open ground. Pashto music, from traditional rubab playing to popular songs, is heard in shops and taxis.

Jalalabad lies on the flat floor of the Kabul River valley, with bare, rocky hills to the north and the crest of the Spin Ghar, snow-covered for much of the year, visible to the south on clear days. The Kabul River flows along the northern side of the city, and the Kunar River joins it a short distance to the north-east. Green space is a large part of the city's character. Irrigation channels feed gardens of citrus, pomegranate and mulberry, and palms and eucalyptus line many roads, giving Jalalabad a very different feel from the dry cities of the plateau. Public parks and private gardens are busy on Fridays and holidays. On the edges of town the gardens give way to fields of wheat, rice and sugarcane, orchards, and the canals of the old state farms. In winter the cool, clear air makes walks along the canals and riverbanks pleasant.

Jalalabad's bazaars are full of fruit for much of the year: oranges and sour oranges in winter, followed by loquats, mulberries and melons, with mangoes brought from Pakistan in summer. Fresh sugarcane juice, pressed on the spot by street vendors, is a city favourite in the heat. Street food is lively. Chapli kebab, fried at stalls in wide pans, is eaten with naan and onions, while grilled tikka and kofta kebabs, pakoras and samosas are sold through the day. Restaurants serve karahi and qabuli palaw, and fried fish is popular in the cooler months. Tea is drunk constantly, green with cardamom more often than black, and sweet shops sell jalebi and other fried sweets as well as milk-based desserts. In summer, sheer yakh, an ice cream flavoured with rosewater and pistachio, and falooda are sold from carts.

Jalalabad is above all a trading city, and its bazaars sell far more than they make. Cloth markets stock fabric for shalwar kameez in every weight, and tailors' workshops will make clothes to measure in a day or two. Embroidered caps, prayer caps, turbans and the patterned shawls worn in winter are sold throughout the centre. Local workshops produce leather sandals, palm-leaf mats and baskets, and simple wooden furniture, and smiths make knives and metal goods in the older lanes. Gold and silver jewellery is sold in jewellers' shops grouped together in the bazaar, mostly in styles popular across the region. Carpets, kilims and other crafts from the rest of Afghanistan are available in a few shops, but buyers should not expect the choice found in Kabul, Herat or Mazar-e Sharif.

Jalalabad is at its best between October and April. Winter days are usually sunny and warm enough for light clothing at midday, with cool evenings and occasional fog in the river valley, and this is when the city is busiest with visitors escaping the cold of Kabul. Oranges fill the markets from late autumn through the winter. In early spring the citrus trees blossom and the gardens are green, making this a good time to walk around the city. Nowruz and the weeks around it are mild and pleasant. Summer is long and very hot. From late May to September afternoon temperatures often pass 40°C, and dust storms and humid spells add to the discomfort. Anyone visiting then should plan outings for the early morning and evening, when the streets and parks come back to life.

The main road from Kabul enters Jalalabad from the west after following the Kabul River for the last part of the journey; the drive of about 150 kilometres usually takes around three hours. Long-distance minibuses and shared taxis from Kabul arrive at vehicle stands on the edge of the city, and vehicles for other destinations leave from their own stands. Jalalabad is the transport hub for the eastern region. Shared vehicles leave regularly for Mihtarlam in Laghman, about an hour to the north-west, and for Asadabad in Kunar, around two hours up the Kunar valley. Travellers heading to or from Peshawar pass through the city on the way to Torkham, about 75 kilometres to the east. Jalalabad Airport lies just outside the city, and domestic flights have served it at various times. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Jalalabad has the widest choice of accommodation in eastern Afghanistan. Hotels cluster in and around the commercial centre and along the main roads leading into the city, ranging from simple rooms above shops, used mostly by traders and drivers, to larger hotels with restaurants and meeting rooms used by business travellers and officials. Guesthouses in the residential districts offer quieter rooms, often in a house with a walled garden, and some are used to hosting visitors on longer stays. Families visiting from Kabul often stay with relatives, and visitors with local contacts may be invited to do the same. In summer, air conditioning, fans and a reliable power supply matter more than heating, so they are worth asking about in advance. Standards vary considerably from one place to another.

Motorised rickshaws are the classic way to get around Jalalabad. They are everywhere, carry two or three passengers, and are the quickest option for short trips through the centre and the bazaars; fares are agreed before setting off. Ordinary taxis and shared taxis run along the main roads, and minibuses connect the centre with the suburbs. Many residents use bicycles and motorcycles, which suit the flat streets, and the older parts of the city and the bazaars are easiest to explore on foot, especially in the cool of a winter morning. For trips out of town, to Hadda, the Darunta reservoir or the surrounding districts, a private car with a driver is the usual choice and can be arranged through hotels or local contacts. Traffic in the centre can be heavy at busy times of day.