Laghman

Laghman is a small province in eastern Afghanistan, lying between the high mountains of Nuristan and the Kabul River valley. It borders Nuristan to the north, Kunar to the east, Nangarhar to the south, and Kabul and Kapisa provinces to the west. The capital, Mihtarlam, stands where the valleys of the Alingar and Alishing rivers open out towards the plain. The province is a land of river valleys. The Alingar and Alishing flow down from the mountains, meet near Mihtarlam and continue south to the Kabul River, watering a broad belt of rice fields, orchards and wheat. The lower valleys share the warm climate of Jalalabad, while the northern districts climb into forested ridges and high pastures on the southern edge of the Hindu Kush. Qarghayi, in the south, lies on the main Kabul to Jalalabad highway and is the gateway to the province. The districts of Alingar and Alishing occupy the two main valleys, and Dawlat Shah, in the north, is the most mountainous. Visitors come for the scenery of green, terraced valleys framed by mountains, for the mild winters of the south, for the shrine that gives Mihtarlam its name, and for an ancient past recorded in inscriptions found in the province.

Laghman's recorded history reaches far back. In antiquity the area was known as Lampaka, and it lay close to the routes linking the Kabul valley with the plains of the Indian subcontinent. Inscriptions of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, written in Aramaic in the 3rd century BCE, have been found in the province, and they are among the oldest inscriptions discovered in Afghanistan. Buddhism flourished here in the early centuries CE, as it did around Hadda in neighbouring Nangarhar. After the arrival of Islam, medieval geographers wrote of Lamghan as a fertile district on the road to India, and it passed under the Ghaznavids and later dynasties. The Mughal emperor Babur, who knew the region well, praised the Lamghan valleys in his memoirs. In the modern era Laghman has been closely tied to Jalalabad and the eastern region. In 1919 Amir Habibullah Khan was killed while at a hunting camp in the province. In recent decades Laghman, like much of the country, has been affected by conflict.

Pashto is the most widely spoken language in Laghman, and Pashai is spoken in many villages of the Alingar, Alishing and Dawlat Shah valleys; the province is one of the heartlands of the Pashai language. Dari is understood in the towns, especially among traders and officials. Religious life centres on village mosques and shrines. The best known is the shrine of Mihtarlam Baba, which local tradition associates with Lamech, the father of Noah. It gives the capital its name and is visited by pilgrims from Laghman and beyond. Life in the valleys follows the farming year, with rice planting, harvest and the movement of flocks to summer pastures shaping the calendar. Weddings bring music on the dhol and surna, and the attan dance. Eid is the main festival, Nowruz is marked with outings in the spring sunshine, and cricket and volleyball are played across the province.

Laghman is shaped by two rivers. The Alingar, which rises in the mountains of Nuristan, and the Alishing flow south through deep valleys and meet near Mihtarlam, and their combined waters run on to join the Kabul River near the boundary with Nangarhar. Along their banks, canals and terraces carry water to fields of rice, maize and wheat, and to orchards of citrus, mulberry and pomegranate. North of the capital the valleys narrow and the land climbs steeply. The ridges of the northern districts are covered in places with oak and pine forest, and above them lie high pastures and peaks that keep their snow well into spring. The southern districts around Qarghayi are lower and drier, with rocky hills between the irrigated land. Forests in the north have been reduced by cutting for timber and fuel, but the contrast between green valley floors and bare or wooded mountainsides remains one of the province's defining sights.

Laghman's cooking is close to that of Nangarhar, with rice at the centre of many meals. Rice from the irrigated valleys, served plain or seasoned with meat stew or vegetables, is an everyday dish, while qabuli palaw is prepared for guests and celebrations. The lower valleys produce oranges and other citrus, pomegranates and vegetables, and the northern valleys supply walnuts, mulberries and honey. Mulberries are eaten fresh in early summer and dried for the winter. Villages that keep cattle, goats and sheep make yoghurt, dogh and qurut, the dried balls of strained yoghurt used across Afghanistan. Bread is usually baked at home in a tandoor, and maize bread is common in the hills. Kebabs, fried fish and bolani, a flatbread stuffed with potato or leeks, are sold at roadside stalls along the main highway.

Laghman is not known as a major centre for handicrafts, and the bazaars of Mihtarlam and Qarghayi mostly sell everyday goods brought from Jalalabad, Kabul and Pakistan. Cloth, clothing, household goods, farm tools and seasonal produce make up much of what is on offer. Some traditional work continues in the villages. Wooden furniture, carved doors and household items are made in the northern valleys, where timber is close at hand and woodworking skills are shared with neighbouring Nuristan. Mats and baskets are woven from palm leaves and reeds, and women in many households embroider clothing, caps and cloth for family use and for sale. Visitors looking for carpets or other well-known Afghan crafts will generally find a wider choice in Jalalabad or Kabul.

Laghman's climate changes with altitude. The southern valleys around Qarghayi and Mihtarlam are warm, with mild winters and hot summers similar to those of Jalalabad, while the northern districts are cooler and the higher ground receives heavy snow in winter. Spring, from March to May, is the most rewarding season: the valleys turn green, the orchards blossom, and snow still caps the mountains to the north. Nowruz falls at the start of this period. Autumn, from October to November, brings clear skies, comfortable temperatures and the end of the rice harvest, when the terraces turn gold. From June to August the lower valleys are very hot, and travel is best kept to the early morning and evening; this is also when the rivers run high with snowmelt. In winter the south stays mild and pleasant for short visits, but snow can make tracks in the northern valleys difficult.

Laghman is reached from the main Kabul to Jalalabad highway. Coming from Kabul, travellers follow the highway east through the Mahipar Pass and Sarobi and turn north at the Qarghayi junction, on to the road up the valley to Mihtarlam. The whole journey is about 150 kilometres and usually takes around three hours. From Jalalabad the trip is shorter, roughly 45 kilometres or about an hour, back west along the highway to the Qarghayi junction and then north. Beyond Mihtarlam, secondary roads and tracks continue up the Alingar and Alishing valleys towards the northern districts and the edge of Nuristan; these are slower and can be rough, especially after rain. There is no airport in the province; the nearest is at Jalalabad. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Accommodation in Laghman is limited and mostly found in Mihtarlam, with a few basic rooms in Qarghayi on the main road. Because Jalalabad is close, many visitors base themselves there and come to Laghman for the day. In the valleys beyond the capital there is little formal accommodation, and visitors are usually guests of local families, staying in the household's guest room or the village hujra, the guest house kept for male visitors. Such hospitality is traditional and generous, but it is arranged through personal contacts rather than booked in advance. Facilities across the province are basic, and travellers should not expect reliable electricity, hot water or air conditioning outside the better rooms in the capital.

Shared taxis and minibuses run between Mihtarlam, the Qarghayi junction and Jalalabad, and they are the main way to travel within the province. They leave when full from stands in each town. Pickups and smaller vehicles serve the valley roads to the district centres of Alingar, Alishing and Dawlat Shah, less often and over rougher surfaces. Motorised rickshaws are common in the larger bazaar towns, and motorcycles are widely used in the villages. For flexible travel, a private car with a driver can be hired in Jalalabad or Mihtarlam. Beyond the end of the roads, in the upper valleys and on the mountain paths towards Nuristan, people travel on foot, and donkeys and mules carry goods and supplies.