Maymana

Maymana is the capital of Faryab Province, set in a fertile valley among the loess hills of north-western Afghanistan at an elevation of around 870 metres. A river flows through the valley, and gardens, orchards and fields surround the town, giving it a greener setting than the plains to the north. The town is the main market of the province, and its bazaar draws traders and shoppers from the surrounding districts, especially on market days. Its centre holds the main bazaar streets, mosques, government offices and schools, with older neighbourhoods of mud-brick houses and walled courtyards, and newer districts spreading along the roads that lead out of the valley. Maymana has a long history as the seat of local rulers, and it remains a centre of Uzbek culture in Afghanistan, known for its music, its carpet trade and its enthusiasm for buzkashi. It has an airport, and it is the gateway to the hill districts of southern Faryab. For visitors, Maymana offers a view of provincial life in the north-west at its own pace, and a base for exploring the carpet villages and open landscapes of the province.

A town has stood in the Maymana valley since at least the early Islamic centuries, when the area belonged to the region of Guzganan and lay on the routes between Balkh and Herat. The town's great period of local power came in the 18th and 19th centuries, when Maymana was the capital of an Uzbek khanate, the most powerful of the principalities of the Chahar Wilayat. Its khans tried to keep their independence by balancing the larger powers of Herat, Bukhara and Kabul against one another, and the town was besieged more than once. In the later 19th century the khanate was brought under the direct rule of the Afghan amirs. In the 20th century Maymana grew as the administrative centre of the province, with new roads, schools and an airfield. The town has been affected by the conflicts of recent decades.

Maymana's bazaar is where the many communities of Faryab meet, and Uzbek, Dari, Turkmen and Pashto are all heard in its streets. Local singers and dutar players are in demand for weddings and celebrations, and poetry recitals and music gatherings are part of the town's social life. Religious life centres on the town's mosques, with Friday prayers drawing large congregations. Nowruz is celebrated with outings to the hills and gardens around the town, and the two Eids bring new clothes, family visits and crowded bazaars. The tea houses of the bazaar are where men meet to talk and trade. Buzkashi is followed with great enthusiasm. Through the winter and around Nowruz, matches on the fields near the town attract riders from across the province, and the best riders, known as chapandaz, are well known locally.

Maymana lies in a valley enclosed by rounded hills of loess, the fine wind-blown soil that covers much of northern Afghanistan. The river running through the valley and the channels drawn from it water the gardens, orchards and fields around the town, and in spring the valley is green and the hills around it are covered in grass and flowers. As summer advances the hillsides dry to gold and brown, while the irrigated gardens stay green. To the south, the hills rise towards the higher ground of the Band-e Turkestan range. The town's position in the hills gives it slightly milder summers than the plains around Andkhoy, though it is still hot in July and August, and winter brings cold nights and snow at times.

Maymana's eateries serve the hearty dishes of the north-west: kebabs of lamb and liver grilled over charcoal, shorwa with bread, and Uzbek palaw served on large platters. Mantu and ashak are popular in the bazaar's restaurants and at home, and ash, a noodle soup, is eaten in the colder months. The town's bakeries turn out fresh tandoor bread through the day, and stalls sell bolani, sambosa and other fried snacks. In summer the market is full of melons, watermelons and grapes from the province, and in winter dried fruit and nuts take their place. Tea houses serve green tea with sugared almonds and sweets.

Carpets are the best-known goods in Maymana's bazaar, with dealers selling rugs from Andkhoy, Daulatabad and the villages of the province, alongside kilims and woven bags. The town's shops are also a place to see karakul hats and pelts from the province's flocks. Embroidered caps, embroidered dresses and cushion covers in Uzbek style, chapans, and Turkmen silver jewellery are sold in smaller shops. Much of the bazaar, however, serves daily needs, with cloth merchants, metalworkers making stoves and tools, and stalls of household goods.

The most pleasant times are March to May and September to November. Spring is the season of green hills, mild days and Nowruz celebrations, and it is when the valley around the town looks its best. Autumn brings settled weather and harvest produce in the market. Summer days are hot, with strong sun and dust, though the town is a little cooler than the plains to the north. Winters are cold, with frost and occasional snow, and unpaved streets turn muddy, but this is also the main season for buzkashi, which is played on the fields near the town.

Maymana is about 750 kilometres from Kabul by road, a journey of 13 hours or more over the Salang Pass and through Mazar-i-Sharif and Sheberghan. From Sheberghan the drive takes several hours, and shared taxis and minibuses run between the two towns. Andkhoy, near the Turkmen border, is a few hours to the north. The town's airport has been served by domestic flights from Kabul and other cities, which take just over an hour from the capital. Westwards, the road to Bala Murghab in Badghis and on towards Herat is long and in places unpaved. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Maymana has a small number of hotels, most of them in the town centre near the bazaar and along the main roads. They are generally simple, with basic rooms and facilities, and are used by traders, officials and families visiting the town. It is worth checking on heating in winter, cooling in summer, and the reliability of electricity and hot water before agreeing to stay, and booking ahead around Nowruz and the Eids, when the town is busy with visitors. Travellers with contacts in the town are often invited to stay with families, in keeping with the strong tradition of hospitality in the region.

Central Maymana is compact, and the bazaar, mosques and offices can be reached on foot. Zaranj rickshaws are everywhere and are the usual way to make short trips or carry shopping, and taxis can be hired on the street or at stands near the bazaar. Shared taxis and minibuses run from stands in the town to Andkhoy, Sheberghan and the district centres. Bicycles and motorbikes are common on the town's streets, and horses are still kept by some families, both for work and for buzkashi. For excursions into the hills and villages around the town, hiring a car with a local driver is the most practical choice.