Sharana

Sharana is the capital of Paktika Province, lying in the north-west of the province on a high plateau at about 2,250 m, close to the border with Ghazni. It is a small town that has grown up around the provincial government, and its importance comes more from administration and trade than from history or monuments. The town centres on a bazaar along the main road, with shops, workshops, eating houses and fuel stations, together with government offices, schools, mosques and a hospital. Houses, many within walled compounds of mud brick, spread out across the flat land, with fields and karez-fed plots beyond. For travellers, Sharana is the gateway to Paktika and a staging post for journeys to Orgun and the eastern mountains. Its wide skies, cold clear winters and open upland setting give it a character quite different from the hotter lowland towns of the south, and its bazaar is the best place in the province to see the comings and goings of rural Paktika.

Sharana's history as a town is recent. The area was long a rural district of scattered villages on the plateau between Ghazni and the mountains of the south-east, where farming depended on karez and seasonal streams. As the capital of Paktika, Sharana developed into the province's administrative centre, gaining government offices, a bazaar and road links with Ghazni and Gardez. Its growth accelerated in the early 21st century, when new government buildings, schools and roads were built. Like the rest of the province, the town was affected by conflict in recent decades, and much of its present building dates from the last twenty years.

Sharana is a Pashto-speaking town, and many of its people come from the surrounding districts and keep close ties with their home villages. Life is conservative and centred on the mosque, the bazaar and the family compound. Friday prayers draw crowds into the town, and during the two Eids the bazaar is busy with families buying clothes, sweets and gifts. Weddings bring music, drums and the attan dance. Cricket is played enthusiastically on open ground around the town, especially in the long summer evenings, and matches between local teams draw large numbers of spectators.

Sharana sits on an open, gently rolling plateau, ringed by distant hills and mountains. The land is dry for much of the year, and the fields and orchards around the town depend on karez channels, wells and seasonal streams. In spring the plateau turns briefly green, and wheat and other crops are grown around the villages. Summer brings dry, dusty conditions, while in winter snow can lie on the plateau for weeks and cold winds sweep across the open land. To the east and south-east the land rises towards the forested mountains of Paktika's border districts.

Sharana's eating houses serve the food of travellers and traders: kebabs and tikka grilled over charcoal, rice with meat, karahi and shorwa, all with fresh naan. Tea houses along the main road are busy from early morning. The bazaar sells fruit and vegetables brought in from Ghazni and further afield, along with locally produced dairy, eggs and meat. In autumn and winter, roasted pine nuts from the eastern districts are a favourite snack, and dried fruit and nuts are bought in quantity before Eid and weddings.

Sharana is not a craft centre. Its bazaar supplies the surrounding districts with cloth, clothing, shoes, household goods, tools, generators and solar panels. Woollen patu shawls, embroidered caps and waistcoats are on sale for the cold months, and tailors make traditional clothing to measure. Some embroidered items made by women in the villages reach the bazaar, but there is little made specifically for visitors. Pine nuts and dried fruit, sold by weight, are the most characteristic things to take away.

At about 2,250 m, Sharana has cold winters, with frequent snow and freezing nights from December to February, and warm, dry summers that are rarely as hot as those of the lowland south. The most comfortable months are May and June, when days are mild and the plateau is green, and September and October, which are clear and dry, with cool nights. Early spring can be muddy as the snow melts, and dust is common on windy summer afternoons.

Sharana lies about 210 km from Kabul, a drive of around four to five hours. One route follows the Kabul–Ghazni highway before turning south-east towards the town, and another runs through Gardez in Paktia. Shared taxis and minibuses connect Sharana with Kabul, Ghazni and Gardez, and with Orgun and other district centres in Paktika. Roads beyond the town are often unpaved, especially towards the eastern mountains. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Sharana has only a few hotels, most of them small and basic, near the bazaar and the main road. Rooms are simple, heating in winter is usually by stove, and electricity can be intermittent. Many visitors are on official business and stay in arranged accommodation. Others are hosted by relatives or local contacts, which is the usual practice in the area, so it is advisable to arrange somewhere to stay before arriving.

Sharana is spread out, but its centre is walkable. Zaranj rickshaws and taxis wait near the bazaar for trips around town, and motorbikes are widely used. Shared taxis and minibuses to Ghazni, Gardez, Kabul and Orgun leave from stands on the main road when full, usually in the morning. For visits to outlying villages, hiring a car with a local driver is the practical choice, and pick-up trucks carry passengers and goods on the rougher rural roads.