There are not so many cultural and historical monuments of antiquity in Afghanistan, because a huge number of attractions were destroyed during the ongoing hostilities, but you can still find something interesting. According to ethnicityology, only in the capital of the country, the city of Kabul, there are more than five hundred mosques, and about forty Shiite prayer houses, while the city also has a lot of temples of other less common religions. The trade center of the capital of Afghanistan is the avenue, which is called Maiwand in honor of the battle in 1880 near the town of the same name near Kandahar. By the way, it is in honor of the victory in this battle that the avenue is decorated with a beautiful tower directed to the sky, decorated with incredible openwork wings, the decoration of which is made with small glazed tiles. Near the central shopping avenue Maiwand at all times there was an incredible number of bazaars. For example, one of them was named by the locals – Char-Chata, which means “Four Arches”, but in fact, Char-Chata is a huge labyrinth of intertwining large and small shopping malls. Tens of thousands of people who are on its territory create the strongest noise, they simultaneously chat, persuade merchants to drop the price, and also simply mumble something under their breath, without falling out of the general bazaar rumble. Only serious Sikhs are silent, selling all known fabrics: velvet, silks, the lightest brocade, and hundreds of other varieties of which every inhabitant of Afghanistan sews clothes. Another bazaar is replete with a variety of yummy things, merchants praise juicy watermelons, and the purest rice, and neat rows nearby are lined with shiny and appetizing bunches of radishes and carrots. The Mindai bazaar, also located in Kabul, is rightfully called the king of the bazaars of Afghanistan, only here a myriad of various dukans, shops, workshops, shops, barbecue and tea houses are arranged in dense rows, sometimes it seems that it is impossible to get around all of them in a lifetime. Here you can buy and sell everything your heart desires, from fish and cereals to sheepskin coats and pots. The inhabitants of Kabul themselves often like to say that if something cannot be found on Mindai, then this cannot exist in nature at all. Silent and strong walls of the fortress with massive teeth and deaf and soulless holes of loopholes stately stand in the shadow from the noise of the bazaar. The wall stretches across the entire capital along the Sher-Darvaz mountain range. From a distance, it looks like a toy, but in reality the wall is about seven meters high and the walls are 4 meters thick. It is thanks to its strength and massiveness that the walls have been preserved since the 5th century. Near the ridge, another fortress attraction of Kabul flaunts – the ancient citadel of Bala Hissar. The legend says that in ancient times the leaders of the people were imprisoned in it, who had the courage to raise uprisings against the rule of the emir. By the way, it was this building that was very useful to the Afghan conquerors during the war between Afghanistan and the British. The British authorities occupied Kabul in the autumn of 1879. At the same time, the invaders behaved terribly, not disdaining vandalism and cruelty, which they themselves do not deny to this day. For example, a certain officer Greenwood described how he, and his company blew up market warehouses and carried out arson in various parts of the city of Kabul. The remaining detachments of the British, who later entered Kabul, continued this nightmarish business and burned most of the capital of Afghanistan. It was on the territory of the citadel of Bala Hissar that an incredibly large circular gallows was erected, on which dozens of residents of the city were executed simultaneously. Today, Kabul is a rather unpredictable city, the masterpieces of the hands of Afghan architects and architects are smoothly woven into a web of small mountainous streets. The picture is complemented by the sparkling domes of the Shah Mosque, which, according to the legend, was so named in memory of the ancient Arab commander, who allegedly defended himself from enemies with two swords at the same time. Especially noisy today is the old part of the Afghan capital. Here the voices of water carriers, coal miners are mixed, blacksmiths-chasers and inviting wandering merchants of various trifles. Mixed with all this hubbub is the noise of animals, often pack donkeys, which are furiously urged on by drovers. Another attraction of Kabul, which should be visited by guests of the Afghan capital, is a street covered with carpets. There are many beautiful and hospitable dukans all over the street. By the way, the carpets are also locally produced, the Afghans dye their offspring with paint synthesized from madder roots, and this dye does not fade even after hundreds of years. The new part of the city of Kabul, built on the left bank of the river of the same name, is completely different, more saturated with the spirit of modern Europe. There are a lot of gardens and flower beds, and the streets are wide and even, on this coast there are Afghan palaces, ministries, embassies of foreign states and other state-important buildings of the country. Both parts of the city: old and new, are united by beautiful bridges.
National cuisine of Afghanistan
Afghan cuisine is considered one of the most ancient in the world. In the daily menu of an Afghan, the set of dishes is often quite simple – pilaf, barbecue, a variety of thick soups, cheese, national naan cakes and obligatory tea. Milk and its derivatives are very important for the Afghan. By the way, even despite the fact that the war in the country continues constantly, and this greatly affects the wealth and quality of available food, the finest examples of the national dishes of Afghanistan are familiar in many parts of the world.
