Kandahar

Kandahar is Afghanistan's second-largest city and the traditional heart of the Pashtun south, set in the fertile Arghandab valley between the Arghandab and Tarnak rivers. As a historic crossroads between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, it is often described as the birthplace of modern Afghanistan and remains closely shaped by Pashtunwali and conservative Islamic customs.

The city's roots go back to a fortified Achaemenid-era settlement and to Alexandria in Arachosia, founded after Alexander the Great's campaign around 330 BC. In 1747 Ahmad Shah Durrani made Kandahar the first capital of the Durrani Empire, and his mausoleum remains a central landmark beside the Khirqa Sharif, a shrine said to hold a cloak of the Prophet Muhammad.

Visitors can explore the busy Sarposh Bazaar and traditional market streets, the Baba Wali shrine with its green riverside grounds, and Chehel Zina (Forty Steps), whose hilltop fort overlooks the city. The modern Aino Mina township offers newer housing and services, while the Old City's mosques, fortifications and neighbourhood bazaars preserve a more traditional character.

The surrounding orchards are renowned for grapes, pomegranates and other fruit, and Kandahar functions as a trading, agricultural and industrial centre with processing, packing and cross-border commerce. As the seat of the Taliban leadership, it also holds major political significance, although Kabul remains the official capital.

For leisure and business travellers, Kandahar is best visited with careful planning and local guidance. Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport links the city to domestic and regional routes, and the city offers a distinctive view of Afghan history, Pashtun culture and southern trade that is very different from Kabul.