Maidan Shahr

Maidan Shahr is the capital of Maidan Wardak Province, a town at about 2,230 metres in the Maidan valley, some 40 km south-west of Kabul. The Kabul–Kandahar highway runs through it, and the town has grown up along the road and around the junction with the route west to Jalrez and Bamyan. It is a modest provincial capital, made up of a central bazaar strung along the highway, the provincial government offices and schools, and residential quarters of walled family compounds spreading back towards the orchards and fields. Mountains rise on all sides, their high ridges snow-covered for much of the year, and the upper Kabul River, still a young mountain stream, flows through the valley nearby. Maidan Shahr has no major monuments, and most travellers know it only as a stop on the road south or west. It is, however, a good introduction to the farming country around Kabul: its market is busy with apples, apricots and walnuts in season, and the town makes a practical starting point for the Jalrez valley and the road over the Unai Pass towards Bamyan.

The Maidan valley has long been farmed and settled, lying on the old route between Kabul and Ghazni, but the town as it stands today is mostly modern. Its name joins the valley's name, Maidan, meaning 'open plain', with shahr, 'town', and it grew as an administrative centre and market for the surrounding villages. The building of the paved Kabul–Kandahar highway in the 1960s brought traffic, trade and new buildings, and the town became the seat of the provincial government of Wardak. It has grown steadily since, with new markets, offices and housing along the highway and the road to Jalrez. The area was affected by conflict in recent decades, and much of the town's present building is recent.

Pashto is the main language of Maidan Shahr, and Dari is widely spoken and understood, particularly by people from the western districts and by traders and officials. The town is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and Friday is the day for prayers at the main mosques and for family visits. As the provincial capital, the town draws people from all over Wardak, from the eastern valleys to the Behsud highlands, and its bazaar, offices and schools bring them together. Tea houses along the highway are social centres for men and a source of news from the road. Weddings, Eid and Nowruz are marked with large family gatherings, and in spring families picnic in the orchards around the town as the blossom appears.

Maidan Shahr lies in a broad, high valley enclosed by bare mountains, whose ridges rise well above the valley floor and keep their snow from late autumn into spring. The air is thin, dry and clear, and nights are cool even in summer. The valley floor is intensively farmed. Irrigation channels lead water from the river and mountain streams through apple and apricot orchards, walnut trees, and fields of wheat, maize and vegetables, and lines of poplars and willows mark the channels and lanes. Above the irrigated land the slopes are dry and stony, grazed by flocks and briefly green after the spring rain. Snow can lie in the town itself through much of the winter.

Maidan Shahr's bazaar is the place to see Wardak's produce. In late summer and autumn apples from the surrounding valleys and Jalrez are piled high on stalls and carts, alongside apricots, walnuts, potatoes and vegetables, and dried fruit and nuts are sold through the winter. Eating houses along the highway cater to a constant stream of travellers, serving kebab grilled over charcoal, chapli kebab, qabuli palaw, shorwa and fresh naan from the tandoor, with green and black tea. At home, families make mantu and ashak for guests, and dairy products such as yoghurt, qurut and dogh are part of everyday meals. In winter, hearty stews and dishes of dried meat are the norm.

Maidan Shahr is not known for handicrafts of its own, and its bazaar is a working market rather than a place for souvenirs. Shops sell cloth, clothing, shoes, household goods, farm tools and building materials, along with goods brought in from Kabul and the produce of the province. Woollen goods woven in the Behsud highlands, such as kilims, saddlebags and lengths of barak cloth, sometimes reach the market, as do embroidered caps and clothing made by women in the surrounding villages. Tailors in the bazaar make shalwar kameez and waistcoats to order. Visitors looking for carpets and a wider range of crafts will find much more in Kabul.

The most comfortable months in Maidan Shahr are May to June and September to October. Spring comes later than in Kabul, with orchards blossoming in April and May and the valley turning green, and early summer is mild and sunny. July and August are warm by day but cool at night, thanks to the altitude. September and October bring the apple harvest, clear skies and crisp mornings, and the market is at its busiest. Winters are cold and snowy from about December to March, and snow and ice can slow traffic on the highway and close the road over the Unai Pass towards Bamyan. Warm clothing is useful after dark at any time of year.

Maidan Shahr is about 40 km from Kabul on the Kabul–Kandahar highway, roughly an hour's drive depending on the traffic leaving the capital. The road leaves Kabul through its south-western suburbs and climbs gently into the Maidan valley. From Maidan Shahr the highway continues south to Ghazni, about 110 km and around two hours away, and on to Kandahar. Westwards, the road up the Jalrez valley and over the Unai and Hajigak passes reaches Bamyan in about 140 km, a journey of four hours or more that can be difficult in winter. Shared vehicles on both routes pass through the town. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Maidan Shahr has only a handful of modest hotels and guesthouses, mostly close to the highway and the central bazaar. They serve Afghan travellers, traders and officials, and facilities are simple, with heating and hot water depending on the season and the power supply. Because Kabul is only about an hour away, most visitors come for the day and return to the capital for the night, where the choice is far wider. Travellers continuing to Bamyan or Ghazni usually press on rather than stopping. Those who need to stay longer in the area typically do so as guests of local families or with accommodation arranged through contacts in advance.

The centre of Maidan Shahr is spread out along the highway, but the bazaar itself is easy to walk. Auto-rickshaws and local taxis carry people between the bazaar, the government offices and outlying neighbourhoods. Minibuses and shared taxis to Kabul leave frequently from stands beside the highway and fill quickly, especially in the morning; vehicles between Kabul and Ghazni also stop to drop and collect passengers. Shared pick-ups and minibuses run west into the Jalrez valley and to other district centres. For a visit to the orchards and side valleys, hiring a car with a driver for the day is the most practical choice.