Kunduz

Kunduz is the capital of Kunduz province and one of the largest cities in northern Afghanistan. It stands on the low plain near the meeting of the Kunduz and Khanabad rivers, surrounded by irrigated fields, and serves as the commercial centre for a wide farming region and a junction on the roads between Kabul, Takhar, Badakhshan and the Tajik border. Much of the modern city was built in the 20th century, with wide streets meeting at central squares, government buildings, parks and markets, and it has spread outward with new residential districts along the main roads. Its name is often explained as coming from kohandiz, an old word for a fortress or citadel, and the mound of an old earthen citadel survives on the edge of the city. Life in Kunduz centres on trade. The bazaars handle rice, cotton, wheat, fruit and livestock from the surrounding districts as well as goods arriving from Central Asia, and the streets are crowded with rickshaws, carts and shoppers. For a visitor, the city is an introduction to the commercial life of the north: wholesale markets, workshops, tea houses, and the farming villages of the plain just beyond the last houses.

Kunduz stands in the heart of what was ancient Bactria and later Tokharistan, and in the early Islamic period the town that grew into Kunduz was a regional centre. Its old citadel recalls those earlier centuries. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Kunduz was the seat of the Uzbek rulers of Qataghan, whose influence reached across the north-east, and European travellers who reached the town in that period described its court and the marshy lowlands around it. The town was absorbed into the Afghan state in the mid-19th century. The city's modern growth began in the 1930s, when marshland was drained, cotton farming and processing were developed, and new streets, factories and public buildings went up. Kunduz expanded rapidly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and the city saw heavy fighting at several points in recent decades.

Kunduz city is a meeting place of the north's communities, and Pashto, Dari and Uzbek are all spoken in the streets, with many residents comfortable in more than one. Most people are Sunni Muslims, and neighbourhood mosques, madrasas and the Friday prayers are central to city life. Buzkashi draws huge crowds to matches on the outskirts of the city in winter and around Nowruz, and wrestling and kite flying are popular pastimes. Weddings fill the city's halls with music, from Pashto attan rhythms to Uzbek and Dari songs. Nowruz is celebrated with picnics in gardens and along the rivers, and with dishes such as samanak and haft mewa, a mix of dried fruit and nuts soaked in water. During Ramadan the bazaars stay busy late into the night, and Eid brings family visits, new clothes and crowded markets.

Kunduz lies on a flat, low plain, and the city is ringed by green farmland: rice paddies, cotton and wheat fields, melon patches and orchards, crossed by irrigation canals lined with willows, mulberries and poplars. The Kunduz River flows past the city, and the Khanabad River joins it not far away. The city has parks and tree-lined avenues that offer shade in the long, hot summer, and many houses have walled gardens with fruit trees and vines. Beyond the farmland, low dry hills rise to the south and west. The wetlands and riverine woodland along the Amu Darya to the north, an hour or more away by road, are home to birds and other wildlife and attract migratory species in spring and autumn.

Kunduz is known across Afghanistan for its rice, and the city's eating houses make the most of it: qabuli palaw with lamb, carrots and raisins, Uzbek-style palaw, and plain chalaw served with stews. Kebab grilled over charcoal, mantu, ashak, bolani and shorwa are found throughout the bazaar, and breakfast stalls sell bread with cream, eggs and tea. In summer the city is full of melons and watermelons from the surrounding plain, along with grapes, apricots and mulberries. Winter brings fried fish, often eaten with jalebi, and hearty soups and stews. Fresh bread from the clay ovens of each neighbourhood, dried fruit and nuts, and sweets such as halwa and sheer pira are sold in the markets throughout the year.

Kunduz's markets are more about trade than craft, but they gather the handwork of the region. Carpets and kilims woven by families in the province and elsewhere in the north are sold in specialist shops, and embroidered caps, cushion covers, dresses and wedding textiles made by local women are found in the cloth bazaar. Tailors make chapans and traditional clothes to order, saddlers and leatherworkers produce harness and gear for buzkashi riders, and blacksmiths and tinsmiths make knives, tools, stoves and cooking pots. Quilts and mattresses filled with local cotton are also sold. Alongside these, the bazaars carry a wide range of goods imported through Central Asia and Pakistan.

Spring, from March to May, is the best time to visit Kunduz: the city's parks and gardens are green, the weather is warm without being harsh, and Nowruz brings picnics and buzkashi. Autumn, especially October and November, is also pleasant, with the harvest arriving in the markets, cooler days and clear skies. Summer, from June to August, is very hot on the low plain, frequently near or above 40°C in the afternoons, and the air is humid near the rice fields; walking around the city is best done early in the morning or in the evening. Winter, from December to February, is milder than in the mountains but often cold, damp and foggy, with occasional frost and light snow. The bazaars stay busy, and winter is the height of the buzkashi season.

Kunduz is on the main road north from Kabul: across the Salang Pass to Puli Khumri, then north through Baghlan, about 330 km in all, usually six to seven hours or more depending on traffic and the pass. Puli Khumri is about two hours away. From Kunduz, roads lead east through Khanabad to Taloqan, about an hour and a half, and north to Sher Khan Bandar and its bridge into Tajikistan, about an hour. Shared taxis on these routes leave from stands on the side of the city facing the direction of travel. Kunduz has an airport (UND), and domestic flights have served it at times. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Hotels and guesthouses in Kunduz are concentrated in the city centre, around the main squares and bazaar streets, with others along the roads towards Kabul and Takhar. They range from simple rooms used by traders and drivers to larger hotels with restaurants and halls used for official visits and weddings. In summer, it is worth checking that rooms have fans or air cooling; in winter, heating is usually by gas or electric heaters, and electricity can be irregular. Some places can arrange drivers and help with onward travel. Staying near the centre makes it easy to walk to the bazaars and to find shared taxis.

Kunduz is flat and spread out, and zaranj rickshaws are the most common way to get around, plentiful on all the main streets. Shared taxis run fixed routes between the centre and the outer districts, and private taxis can be hired for a trip or for the day. Bicycles and motorcycles are very common, and the centre and the bazaar areas are easy to explore on foot, though the summer heat makes long walks tiring at midday. Horse-drawn carts are still occasionally seen carrying goods. For trips to the countryside or the border, hiring a car with a driver is the simplest option.