Sar-e Pol

Sar-e Pol is the capital of Sar-e Pol Province, a small town on the river of the same name, at the point where the hills of the interior open out towards the northern plains. Its name means 'head of the bridge', and it has long been a crossing place and market for the surrounding villages. The town's centre is its bazaar, a few streets of shops, workshops and eating places along the main road, together with mosques, the provincial offices and schools. Around the centre lie neighbourhoods of mud-brick houses with walled courtyards and gardens, shaded by poplars and fruit trees and watered by channels drawn from the river. Sar-e Pol is not a tourist town, and it has no monuments that draw visitors in their own right. Its interest is in everyday life: market days, when farmers and herders from the hills come in to sell livestock, grain and wool, the busy tea houses, and the views of the hills that rise beyond the town. It is the starting point for journeys into the mountain districts of the province and lies about an hour south of Sheberghan.

The town grew up at a river crossing on the routes between the northern plains and the mountains, and it was a local market long before it became a provincial capital. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was the seat of a small khanate whose rulers controlled the surrounding valleys from the town. After the region came under the authority of Kabul in the later 19th century, Sar-e Pol remained a district centre within the larger provinces of the north, a modest market town known mainly to the people of the surrounding valleys. It grew in importance when the province was created in 1988 and the town became its capital, gaining the offices of a provincial administration and new schools. The search for oil in the surrounding area has brought new activity in recent years, and the town has been affected by the conflicts of recent decades.

Sar-e Pol's bazaar brings together people from every part of the province, and Dari, Uzbek, Pashto and Hazaragi can all be heard there on a market day. Tea houses are the social centre of the town for men, where news is exchanged over pots of green tea, while family life takes place within the walled courtyards of the houses. Friday prayers at the main mosque are the focus of the week. Nowruz and the two Eids are celebrated with new clothes, visits to relatives and gatherings in the gardens and on the hillsides around the town. In the cold months, buzkashi matches are held on open ground near the town, drawing riders and spectators from the surrounding districts.

The town lies at around 600 metres in a river valley where the foothills give way to the plain. The river and the channels drawn from it support a green strip of gardens, orchards and fields around the town, with mulberry, poplar and willow trees, in contrast with the bare loess hills on either side. In spring the hills around Sar-e Pol turn green and are dotted with wild flowers, and families walk out to enjoy them. Through the summer the hillsides fade to brown, while the gardens along the river stay green with irrigation. To the south, the higher mountains of the province can be seen on clear days, with snow on the peaks in winter and spring.

Eating out in Sar-e Pol means the simple eateries and tea houses of the bazaar, which serve kebab, shorwa, palaw and fresh bread from the tandoor. Meals at home are built around bread, rice, mutton and vegetables, with mantu, ashak and qurutab made for guests and holidays. The market sells produce from the surrounding valleys, including melons and watermelons in late summer, grapes, and dried fruit and nuts in the winter months. Dairy products from the hill flocks, such as yoghurt, butter and qurut, are sold by farmers on market days, and sweets and biscuits are bought in quantity before the Eids and Nowruz.

Sar-e Pol's bazaar is a working market rather than a place for souvenirs. Most stalls sell cloth, clothing, household goods, farm tools and food, and livestock is traded on market days. Some shops and dealers sell rugs, kilims and woven bags made in the villages of the province, and felt mats and woollen goods from the mountain districts can be found as well. Tailors make traditional clothing to order, including the long shirts and wide trousers worn by men and the quilted chapan coats used in winter, and blacksmiths turn out tools and stoves for the households of the area.

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, in September and October, are the most comfortable seasons. Spring is when the hills around the town are green and the weather is mild, and autumn brings clear days and the harvest of melons and grapes. July and August are hot, with dusty roads and strong sun, though nights are cooler than on the open plains. Winter is cold, with frost, snow at times and muddy streets, and the roads south into the mountains may be closed. Market days are worth seeking out in any season, as that is when the town is at its liveliest.

Sar-e Pol is reached by road from Sheberghan, about 55 kilometres to the north, a drive of around an hour. From Mazar-i-Sharif the trip takes about three hours via Sheberghan, and from Kabul, over the Salang Pass and through Mazar-i-Sharif, about ten to eleven hours for a distance of roughly 600 kilometres. Shared taxis and minibuses run between Sar-e Pol and Sheberghan through the day. Roads leading south from the town into the mountain districts are mostly unpaved. The nearest airport with domestic flights is at Mazar-i-Sharif. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Sar-e Pol has only a few places to stay, mainly simple hotels and guest rooms near the bazaar and on the main road. They are used by traders, officials and travellers passing through, and offer basic rooms, in many cases with shared facilities. Electricity, heating and hot water can be unreliable, so it is worth asking before agreeing to stay. Because Sheberghan is only an hour away, some visitors prefer to stay there or in Mazar-i-Sharif and visit Sar-e Pol as a day trip. Travellers with local contacts are often welcomed as guests in family homes, in keeping with the hospitality customs of the region.

Sar-e Pol is small, and the bazaar, mosques and offices at its centre are within walking distance of each other. Zaranj rickshaws are the usual way to cover longer distances in town and to carry shopping and goods, and taxis can be found near the main road and the bazaar. Bicycles and motorbikes are common, and donkey carts still bring produce in from the nearby villages. For trips out of town into the hills or the mountain districts, a car with a local driver can be hired, while shared taxis to Sheberghan leave from stands in the town when they have filled.