Afghanistan

Islamic republic of Afghanistan or Afghanistan is a landlocked mountainous country located in central Asia. Afghanistan (land of afghan) has a rich culture and heritage which dates back over5000 years. On the road to recovery, Afghanistan is making its presence in the world scenario. Abdul Ahad Mohmand is the first citizen of Afghanistan to go into space. Afghanistan is a heterogeneous country where peace and tranquility prevails side by side.

Official Languages:

The official languages of Afghanistan are Dari and Pashto (Afghan Persian/Farsi). Dari was always used for commercial purpose, like in government and business transactions, however during the reign of Zahir Shah, the national language of the country was declared as Pastho. Other languages spoken in Afghanistan are Turkic (Uzbek and Turkmen), Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani etc. while Dari is the most popular language of Afghanistan which is followed Pastho, Turkmen, Uzbek ,Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani etc Both Dari and Pashto are principally written with the Arabic alphabet. Khushal Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba, Jalaluddin Rumi are some of the significant poets in Dari and Pastho respectively.

Independence, Republic and Government:

The independence of Afghanistan form the united kingdom was declared on August 8, 1919 but it was officially recognized on August 19 1919. After much political turmoil and anarchy, democracy was finally restored with the additional help from the UN (United Nations) and U.S.A(United States Of America). Presidential elections in Afghanistan were finally held on October 9, 2004. With its adoption of new constitution, Afghanistan became an Islamic Republic country in the beginning of 2004. The political structure of Afghanistan consists of a elected President, two Vice Presidents, and a National Assembly consisting of two Houses:- Wolesi Jirga or the House of People and Meshrano Jirga or the House of Elders . While there also exits an independent Judiciary branch consisting of the Supreme Court which is also known Stera Mahkama, High Courts and Appeal Courts. The president of Afghanistan along with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga constitutes the member of supreme court. The government of Afganisthan are divided in to three branches: Executive,Legislative and Judicial. The Grand Assembly is known as Loya Jirga. Loya Jirga is the peak manifestation of the people of Afghanistan. It comprises of the following:

• Members of the National Assembly.
• Chairpersons of the provincial, and district councils
• The ministers, Chief Justice and members of the Supreme Court can participate in the sessions of the Loya Jirga without the right to vote.

• Kabul: the capital city of Afghanistan and one of the main cultural and economic base of Afghanistan.

• Kandahar: Founded by Alexander the great during 4th century B.C, is regarded as the second largest city of Afghanistan. It is also a principal trading center for cattle, silk, wool and dried food.

• Mazar-I-Sharif: The fourth largest and a major heritage city of Afghanistan, it also a popular tourist destination for its magnificent archaeological sites.

• Sheberghan: Rich in its agriculture and regarded as one of the most energy infrastructure of Afghanistan.

• Herat: Third largest and ancient city of Afghanistan. Widely known for its fertile are and wine.

• Jalalabad: Situated in the eastern Afghanistan is famous for its exotic valleys and landscapes. Some other important cities in Afghanistan are Qalat (Zabul), Lashkar Gah, Chaghcharan, Baluchi, Bamyan, Ghazni.

Culture and Heritage:

Both the culture and heritage of Afghanistan are very rich and traditional. Islam has a great impact on the culture of Afghanistan. Though different regions in Afghanistan have their own cultural which reflects the multi -lingual as well as the multi cultural picture of the nation. Afghanistan music, poetry, food enjoys unique global appreciation. At certain point of time Buddhism was hugely popular in Afghanistan. The influences of Greek, Persian, Central Asian, Islamic, Mongolian, Chinese, Indian, Russian and British etc at different point of time, led a prominent impact on the heritage of Afghanistan. Though the ideology of Taliban resulted in a devastating impact on their heritage. Sarinda, Zerbaghali,Tambur, Rubab, Waj or Wunz to name a few are some of the popular traditional Afghan musical instruments. Jalaludin-e-Balkhi --Rumi-- (Dari), Khushal Khan Khattak (Pashto), Hanzala of Badghis (Dari), Rahman Baba (Pashto), Rabi'a Balkhi (Dari) Ahmad Shah Durrani (Pashto) etc are some of the clasical poets of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is also widely recognized for its rich and traditional clothes.

Gandhara Kingdom, Ghazni, heart, Jayapala, Kabul, Kamboja, Kandahar,Nava Vihara, Panini Shahi, Uttarapatha, Minaret of Jam and the Valley of Bamiya etc are some of the cities in Afghanistan with rich Hindu and Buddhist heritage. However due to its extended political fighting and war, much of Afghanistan's heritage suffered major loss.

Tourism

Despite of its past political turmoil and conflicts, Afghanistan is a great place to visit. Kabul,Kandahar, heart, Jalalabad, Ghazni, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz etc are some of popular city to visit. The Afghanistan government has made special plans and projects to re-energized and revitalize its tourism industry. To survive, the tourism culture has become of the prime agendas of the government of Afghanistan. Five starts hotels have started to open up here. With its clean comfortable accommodation and quality hospitality, the hotels In Afghanistan are reaping positive appreciation from its guests and as a results things are getting better for the tourism sector.

Gardens of Babur, museums, ancient walls of the citadel Balai Hissar, the Valley of Paghman Karez-i-Amir could be a worth to visit. Overall Afghanistan with its bicycle trips, boat rides,museums , shopping along with overland trips and outstanding mountain terrain over an arry of travel activities and adventures. Ariana Afghan Airlines,Afghanistan's national carrier , Kam Air, Air Arabia PIA (Pakistan International Airline) are some of airlines that fly into Afghanistan. It is strongly recommended that you carry books like Dari-English English-Dari Dictionary & Phrasebook Pashto Dictionary & Phrasebook etc while spending your vacation here in Afghanistan.

For further information on Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan you can log on to countriesandcapitals.