Mahmud-i-Raqi

Mahmud-i-Raqi is the capital of Kapisa Province, a small town in the Kohistan about 75 km north-east of Kabul. It lies at roughly 1,600 metres on the fertile ground between the Shomali plain and the mountains, with Charikar a short drive to the west and the entrance to the Panjshir valley at Gulbahar a little to the north. The town is modest in size, more a district centre than a city. Its heart is the bazaar along the main road, with general stores, tailors, tea houses, fruit and vegetable stalls and workshops, and the provincial offices close by. Around this core, residential lanes of mud-brick and concrete houses lead out into walled gardens, vineyards and orchards, and the line between town and countryside is soft. Mahmud-i-Raqi has no major monuments, and few visitors come for its own sake. Its appeal lies in being an ordinary Afghan country town close to the capital, with a lively market in the mornings, views of the mountains, and easy access to the villages and orchards of the Kohistan and to the valleys of eastern Kapisa.

Mahmud-i-Raqi grew up as a village and market centre in the Kohistan, the farming country north of Kabul that for centuries supplied the capital with fruit and grain and lay on the routes towards the Panjshir valley and the passes of the Hindu Kush. Little is recorded of its early history, and it remained a modest rural settlement for most of its existence. Its importance is mainly administrative and modern. It became the seat of the provincial government of Kapisa in the 20th century, and has grown since as offices, schools and a larger bazaar were built along its main road. The surrounding area was affected by conflict in the late 20th century, and much of the town's present building dates from the decades since.

Dari is the everyday language of Mahmud-i-Raqi, and Pashto is widely understood, particularly among people coming in from the eastern valleys of the province. The town is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and Friday prayers at its main mosques are the high point of the week. As the provincial capital, the town draws people from across Kapisa to its bazaar, government offices and schools, so its streets mix town residents with farmers and families from the surrounding villages. Social life centres on the mosque, the tea house and the extended family. Weddings and Eid gatherings are large occasions, and at Nowruz families picnic in the orchards around town as the blossom appears.

The town sits on gently sloping land at the foot of the mountains, with ridges of the Hindu Kush rising to the north and east and the open plain stretching away to the west towards the Panjshir River and Charikar. In winter and spring snow lines the peaks above the town. Irrigation channels fed by mountain streams run through Mahmud-i-Raqi and water the gardens and fields around it, and in summer the town is ringed with green: vineyards, mulberry and apricot trees, walnuts, and plots of wheat, maize and vegetables. Poplars and willows line the channels and lanes. Beyond the irrigated land the slopes are bare and stony, turning green only briefly after the spring rains.

Mahmud-i-Raqi's food reflects the farms around it. The bazaar sells the seasonal produce of the Kohistan: mulberries in early summer, apricots after them, then grapes, apples and walnuts in late summer and autumn, with dried fruit and nuts through the winter months. Tea houses and small eating places around the bazaar serve kebab, qabuli palaw, shorwa and bolani, along with fresh naan from the town's bakeries. Ashak and mantu are made at home for guests and special occasions. Yoghurt, qurut and dogh are widely made, and in hot weather dogh with mint and cucumber is the usual drink with a meal.

Mahmud-i-Raqi is not known for any particular craft, and its bazaar is a working market rather than a place for souvenirs. Shops and stalls sell cloth, ready-made clothing, shoes, household utensils, farm tools, dried fruit and nuts, and goods brought in from Kabul. Tailors make clothes to order, and small workshops mend tools, bicycles and motorcycles and make simple stoves and metal containers for village households. Items stitched and woven at home in the surrounding villages occasionally appear for sale before Eid. For carpets, pottery and jewellery, visitors are far better served by the shops of Kabul or the pottery workshops of Istalif.

The best months are April to June and September to October. In spring the gardens and orchards around the town blossom and the days are mild, and in early summer the mulberry harvest fills the market. Autumn brings the grape and walnut harvests and clear, settled weather. July and August are hot in the middle of the day, though the evenings cool down. Winters are cold, with snow most years, short days, and roads into the side valleys sometimes blocked, though the main road towards Kabul usually stays open. The town is at its busiest in the days before Eid, when villagers come in to shop.

Mahmud-i-Raqi is about 75 km from Kabul, a drive of roughly an hour and a half to two hours. The usual route follows the main highway north out of Kabul through the Koh-e Daman and then branches east across the plain into the Kohistan. Charikar, the capital of Parwan, lies a short drive to the west, and Gulbahar, at the entrance to the Panjshir valley, a short drive to the north, so the town is easily combined with either. A road leads east from the Kohistan into the Nijrab valley. Shared vehicles link the town with Kabul, Charikar and Gulbahar. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Mahmud-i-Raqi has very little accommodation for visitors. There may be a basic guesthouse or simple rooms near the bazaar used by travelling traders, but standards are simple and options are few. Most visitors come on a day trip from Kabul, which is close enough to return the same day, or stay in Charikar, which has a slightly wider choice. Travellers who want to stay longer in the area usually do so as guests of local families, arranged beforehand through someone they know. Guest rooms in village homes are furnished with carpets, mattresses and cushions, meals are shared with the family, and visitors are expected to respect household customs.

The centre of Mahmud-i-Raqi is small and easy to walk, and most errands in the bazaar are done on foot. Auto-rickshaws and local taxis cover longer distances to outlying villages and the provincial offices. Shared taxis and minibuses leave from stands near the bazaar for Kabul, Charikar and Gulbahar, departing when full, with the most departures in the morning. Pick-ups and minibuses serve the Nijrab valley and other districts, less frequently and more slowly. Visitors who want to see the orchards and valleys of the Kohistan in a day usually hire a car with a driver.