Kapisa

This time ATIS wishes to take you to the land of epics. Follow ATIS to take a look at awesome Kapisa Province. Kapisa or Kapis which is referred to as "Nisa" in the diaries of Alexander the Great means the Garden of God, the green and lively land located on the footage of Hindukush Mountains. Kapisa is one of the alluring provinces in Afghanistan which is amidst central provinces and shares border with Panjshir Province in the north, Parwan Province in the west and Laghman and Kabul Provinces in the south. Kapisa Province Security forces in Kapisa Province Marvelous Kapisa Province Municipality Complex in the Hisi Awal Kuhistan Hisi Awal Municipality Beauties of Kapisa Province Climate Kapisa Province covers around 121 km2 and Mahmoud Raqee City, situated 65 km to the north of Kabul, is the center of the province. Kapisa is an ancient region in the country that has been the capital of Kanishka, in ancient Aiyana around 620 years ago. Kapisa is cold in winters and hot in summers. Although it has moderate climate during the spring and fall. Taking into account the climate in this province and the precipitation rate which is about 300-400 mm, it has high quality pomegranate and grapes. Kapisa`s pomegranate and grapes are exported to other countries and are globally famous. Kapisa Province in Summer Grapes, Kapisa Province Autumn in Kapisa Province Historical places in Kapisa Province Based on the fact that Kapisa has been the capital of Ariana, it has a very particular historical stance. There are a large number of historical places in this province that are constantly visited by the people. Zargar is an historical place in this province, it is located in the Hisi Awal Kuhistan District. Abdullah Burj is another historical place located in Sayyad District in Kapisa Province. In addition, Rig-e Ravan is another location with wonderful stories. Rig-e Ravan, Kapisa Province Sayyad Region in Kapisa Province Sayyad Region is a lovely region in Kapisa Province Districts in Kapisa Province Districts of Kapisa Province include: Hisi awal Kohistan, Hisi dowom Kohistan, Kohband, Nijrab, Tagab, Alasaye and the center Mahmoud Raqee Najrab District in Kapisa Province A river in Kapisa Province Famous mountains and rivers in Kapisa Province Sanjan, Khamzargar, Rig-e Ravan, Bolghin and Shir Khan Khil are among prominent mountains in this province. Big rivers that are situated in the central districts include Khwaja River, Razaq River, Rig- Ravan River and Afghan River. Snow-covered mountains in Kapisa Province Mountains in Kapisa Province Ethnicities in Kapisa Province Tajik people are the majority in Kapisa Province, although Pashtuns, Pashaye, Hazara, Parachi and Gujar ethnicities live in this province. Rural life in Kapisa Province A school in Kapisa Languages in Kapisa Dari, Pashto, Pashaye, Gujari and Parachi are spoken languages in Kapisa Province.

The province's name recalls the ancient kingdom of Kapisa, which in the early centuries CE was centred on the plain where the Panjshir and Ghorband rivers meet, close to the modern boundary with Parwan. Buddhist monasteries were built across the surrounding hills, and in the 7th century the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang described Kapisa as a fertile country of grain and fruit with many monasteries. In later centuries the Kohistan, as the foothill country here is known, supplied Kabul with fruit and grain, and its villages lay on the routes from the capital towards the Panjshir valley and the passes of the Hindu Kush. Kapisa was organised as a separate province in the 20th century and remains one of the smallest in the country by area. Like its neighbours, it was affected by conflict in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Dari and Pashto are both spoken in Kapisa, Dari more commonly in the Kohistan and Pashto in eastern valleys such as Tagab, and Pashai is spoken in some villages. The population is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, and mosques and local shrines are at the centre of village life. Life follows the farming year, with shared work at harvest time and weddings in the months after it. Nowruz is celebrated with family picnics in the orchards as the blossom opens, and Eid brings visits between villages and relatives. Hospitality is a matter of pride, and a visitor arriving in a village is likely to be offered tea, bread and fruit before anything else. Wrestling and buzkashi are popular in the cold season.

Kapisa's landscape steps up from the plain in the west to high mountains in the north and east. The Kohistan is a fertile band of foothills, where streams descending from the mountains are spread through irrigation channels to water vineyards, mulberry and apricot orchards, walnut trees and terraced fields of wheat and maize. The Panjshir River passes along the western side of the province on its way south from the Panjshir valley, and the Nijrab, Tagab and Alasay valleys cut deep into the ranges to the east, each with its own stream, narrow fields along the valley floor and bare slopes above. Poplars and willows line the water channels, and the higher ground provides spring and summer grazing for village flocks.

Kapisa's farms supply fruit, grain and vegetables to Kabul's markets. Grapes grow throughout the Kohistan, along with mulberries, apricots, apples and walnuts, and in early summer fresh mulberries are eaten straight from the trees or spread on rooftops to dry. Dried mulberries and walnuts are a winter staple. Home cooking is simple and seasonal: bread baked in the tandoor, qabuli palaw for guests, shorwa, and dishes of beans, spinach and other greens in spring. Yoghurt, dogh, a salted yoghurt drink, and qurut are made from the milk of village cows, sheep and goats. In the cooler months, families eat dried fruit and nuts with green tea in the evenings.

Kapisa is not widely known for handicrafts, and its small bazaars mostly sell everyday goods, cloth, farm tools and local produce. Village households make many of the things they use: women embroider caps, cushion covers, prayer mats and clothing, and some families weave simple kilims, rugs and sacks from local wool. Baskets and mats woven from reeds and willow are used across the farms, and small workshops in the district centres make and mend tools and household metalwork. Travellers looking for carpets, pottery or jewellery will find a far wider choice in Kabul, or in the pottery workshops of Istalif on the way north from the capital.

Spring and autumn suit Kapisa best. From April to early June the orchards and vineyards are in leaf and blossom, the streams run full and the valleys are green. Early summer brings the mulberry season, and from late summer into October the grape and walnut harvests are under way. Summers are warm to hot on the lower ground, especially in the eastern valleys, while the Kohistan foothills stay more comfortable. Winters are cold, with snow on the hills and sometimes on the valley floors; mountain tracks into the side valleys can become impassable after heavy snow. Nowruz, around 21 March, coincides with the first blossom and is a good time to see village celebrations.

Kapisa is entered from the west by roads branching off the main highway north from Kabul, which runs through the Koh-e Daman towards Charikar. Mahmud-i-Raqi, the capital, is about 75 km from Kabul, roughly an hour and a half to two hours by road, and the Kohistan districts around it are linked by local roads across the plain to Charikar and to Gulbahar at the mouth of the Panjshir valley. The eastern valleys are reached by side roads: Nijrab from the Kohistan, and Tagab and Alasay also from the south, by a road that runs north from the Surobi area on the Kabul–Jalalabad highway. These roads are narrower and unpaved in places. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Accommodation in Kapisa is very limited. Mahmud-i-Raqi and the other district centres have few, if any, hotels suitable for visitors, and the province sees little tourism. Most travellers visit on a day trip from Kabul, or stay in Charikar or Kabul and drive in. Anyone wishing to stay overnight in the valleys would normally do so as a guest of a local family, arranged in advance through a trusted contact, in keeping with the strong local tradition of hospitality. Facilities in village homes are simple: guests sleep on mattresses and cushions in a guest room, meals are shared, and bathrooms are basic.

Shared taxis and minibuses link Mahmud-i-Raqi and the other district centres with Kabul and Charikar, leaving when full from the transport stands in each town. Within the Kohistan, shared taxis and auto-rickshaws carry people between villages and markets along the main valley roads. Travel into the eastern valleys is mostly by shared pick-up or minibus on rougher roads, with services thinning out in winter. Most visitors find it easier to hire a car with a driver who knows the area. In the villages people walk between houses, fields and orchards, and donkeys are still used to carry fodder, fruit and firewood along the narrower tracks.