Tarinkot

Tarinkot is the capital of Uruzgan Province and its main town, lying at about 1,330 m in a wide valley in the south of the province, around 150 km north of Kandahar by road. Bare mountains surround the valley floor, where irrigated fields and orchards spread out from the town. The town has grown considerably in recent years, from a modest district centre into a provincial capital with government offices, schools, a hospital and an airfield. Its centre is a long, busy bazaar of shops and workshops, where farmers from the surrounding villages sell produce and buy supplies. Low houses of mud brick and newer concrete buildings, many behind high compound walls, make up the residential areas. Tarinkot is the gateway to the rest of Uruzgan and the natural base for travel to its valleys. It has few sights in the conventional sense, but it gives a clear picture of life in a small provincial capital, with the mountains always in view.

Tarinkot grew up as a market and administrative centre for the farming villages of its valley, on the routes linking Kandahar with the highlands to the north. Its early history is little recorded. For much of the 20th century it was a small town serving its district and the province of Uruzgan. In the early 21st century it grew quickly, as new roads, government buildings and an airfield linked it more closely to Kandahar and Kabul, and traders from across the province opened shops in its bazaar. The town was a focus of military and reconstruction activity in recent decades, and much of its present fabric dates from that period.

Tarinkot is predominantly Pashto-speaking, and Dari is heard among people from the highland districts. Daily life revolves around the mosque, the bazaar and the home, and the town is quiet after dark. Friday prayers and the two Eids are the high points of the religious calendar, when families visit relatives and the bazaar fills with shoppers buying clothes and sweets. Weddings, held in family compounds or wedding halls, are celebrated with music and the attan, the Pashtun circle dance. Young people play cricket and volleyball on open ground around the town, and kites fill the sky on windy spring days.

The Tarinkot valley is a broad, flat basin surrounded by steep, rocky mountains. A river and its canals water the fields that ring the town, and karez channels still supply some of the villages. In spring the valley floor is green with wheat and the orchards of almonds, apricots and pomegranates come into blossom against the bare brown slopes. By midsummer the hills are parched, the river runs low, and the fields have turned to stubble after the wheat harvest. The ridges around the town catch the light at dawn and dusk, and the clear air of autumn and winter gives long views across the valley.

Tarinkot's bazaar has bakeries, butchers, fruit stalls and a number of small eating houses serving kebabs, rice dishes and shorwa with fresh naan. Tea is served in tea houses throughout the day. The valley's almonds, apricots and pomegranates are sold fresh in season and dried for the rest of the year, and grapes and melons come in from the surrounding districts in late summer. Dairy products, including yoghurt and qurut, are brought in by village families and herders. At home, families eat bread with stews of vegetables and pulses, keeping meat and rice for guests and festivals.

Tarinkot is not a craft centre. Its bazaar is a working market for the surrounding districts, selling cloth, clothing, shoes, kitchenware, tools, solar panels and other everyday goods. Tailors make up traditional clothing to order, and caps, shawls and embroidered items are on sale, many of them brought from Kandahar. Locally grown almonds and dried apricots are the most characteristic things to buy, sold loose by weight in the bazaar and often packed in cloth bags for the journey home.

Tarinkot is hot in summer, with July and August often uncomfortably warm in the middle of the day, and cold in winter, when frosts are frequent and snow falls from time to time. April and May are the most pleasant months, with mild days, blossom in the orchards and green fields. September and October are also good, with the fruit harvest under way and cooler evenings. Days are short and cold from December to February, and the roads into the mountains beyond the valley may be blocked by snow.

Tarinkot Airport lies a short distance outside the town and has served domestic flights from Kabul and Kandahar, which is the quickest way to arrive. By road, the main route comes north from Kandahar, a journey of around 150 km that usually takes three to four hours. From Kabul, the usual road route is by way of Kandahar, about 630 km in all. Shared taxis and minibuses run between Kandahar and Tarinkot, and rougher roads link the town with Deh Rawood, Chora and Khas Uruzgan. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Tarinkot has a handful of hotels and guesthouses, mostly near the bazaar and along the main road. Rooms are simple, and facilities such as electricity, hot water and internet depend on generators or solar power. Most visitors from outside the province come on official or business trips and stay in arranged accommodation, so it is wise to confirm a room in advance. Visitors with family or friends in the area will usually be hosted in a private home.

Tarinkot is compact, and much of the centre can be reached on foot. Zaranj rickshaws are the main form of public transport within the town, and taxis and private cars can be hired near the bazaar. Shared taxis and minibuses to Kandahar and the district centres leave from the bazaar area or the edge of town when full. For trips into the surrounding valleys, a car with a local driver is the most practical choice, and motorbikes are widely used by local people.