Gulbahar and Kapisa
One-day tour with picnic lunch.
Kabul-Gulbahar: 88 km; 55 m; 1 hr. 20 min., Paved road to Jabal Seraj: 77 km; 48 mi; 1 hr.
Gulbahar-Panjsher River: 19 km; 12 mi; 35 min, Unpaved. Ferry across river with short walk to Kapisa.
Petrol: Charikar, Gulbahar Textile Company
Refreshments: Charikar: teahouses, kabab, etc., Gulbahar: Textile Casino - telephone in advance, teahouses, kabab, fried fish, etc.; Village teahouses as noted.
[1] This tour is primarily a pleasant leisurely ride through the countryside, recommended for those who would like to get off the main roads and see something of village life in
Afghanistan.
[2] For items of interest between Kabul and Jabal Seraj, see under sections Istalif and the Koh Daman and Salang Pass and Khinjan,
paragraphs 1-7.
[3] A road sign at Jabal Seraj directs you to take a sharp right. Then take a sharp left over a small canal and veer right. Though the road is unpaved, it is fairly well graded and not
difficult. Continue straight ahead to the outskirts of Gulbahar where you will come to a dead end. Turn left.
[4] From here the road gradually descends toward the Panjsher River, passing by village houses, gardens and mulberry groves picturesquely ringed with low stone walls. Soon a large
expanse of lush green appears below you on the right. This is the Bagh-i-Umumi, or Public Garden situated beside the Panjsher River which rushes by with a hurried cool force, brushing at
the grassy banks lined with avenues of immense plane trees spreading their shade over carefully tended picnic grounds. Afghanistan is liberally sprinkled with large, naturally beautiful,
relaxing public gardens, for picnicking is a favorite pastime. Fishing enthusiasts have reported good luck in these waters.
[5] The center of the village of Gulbahar is about a kilometer beyond the park. Here you will find a typical bazaar with tiny shops filled with a fascinating array of edibles and
sundries. You will be most welcome if you care to walk through the bazaar inspecting the wares. A Gulbahar specialty: large numbers of teahouses advertising dried fish for sale. The fish,
usually a bony but tasty variety called shir mahi (milk fish), are caught fresh each day in the rivers and tributaries converging on Gulbahar from the Hindu Kush mountains by a special
group called Sayad whom we shall meet later on the banks of the Panjsher River.
[6] A road sign in the center of town pinpoints this bazaar as an important crossroads where the road from the northern part of the province and from the south meet to swing out onto the
main highway leading to the markets of Kabul and over the Hindu Kush to the northern provinces. Roka, chief bazaar town in the beautiful Panjsher Valley which also has many lovely picnic spots,
lies 33 km; 20 mi. to the north (left). One hopes that the projected road through the Panjsher Valley over the Anjuman Pass into Badakhshan will materialize in the very near future. It will be,
without doubt, one of the most scenic routes in Afghanistan. Mahmoud Raqi, capital of Kapisa Province which you have just entered, lies only 15 km; 10 mi. to the south. Neither of these roads
is paved. To follow this tour, turn right.
[7] Taking the right turn, one comes to a fine iron suspension bridge which was built during the reign of King Habibullah (r. 1901-1919). He was very interested in such
bridges and also built one over the Kabul River at Darunta near Jalalabad, but the Darunta Bridge gave way to a most solid rock and concrete structure when the reservoir and tunnel were built
in 1963.
[8] From the barren heights above the bridge one looks down onto the village of Gulbahar, noting the architectural patterns typical of most villages in the hills of Afghanistan.
A modern layout greets the eye a kilometer or so further on. This is the Gulbahar Textile Company, one of the largest plants in Asia with an annual capacity of 60,000,000 meters.
It was established with assistance from the Federal Republic of Germany. Those who attended the ceremonies attending the laying of the foundation stone by Prime Minister Shah Mahmud in 1952
can hardly believe the transformation. What was then an absolute desert, rocky and without relief of tree or shrub, is now a combination of lush gardens surrounding houses boasting most
modern conveniences, including air conditioning, tall trees, and towering technically-modern industrial plants.
[9] If you have called ahead for a meal to be prepared, you will find the turnoff to the Casino on the left after passing the petrol station and a small bazaar. Ask anyone to guide you.
The teahouse in this bazaar serves a good chainaki, lamb stew cooked in mended teapots embedded in hot coals.
[10] The road deteriorates a little after the textile complex on the way to the Panjsher River. Long, wide cars with no clearance should go no farther. Most cars, however, should have
no difficulty - depending, that is, on the damage wrought by snow and spring rains. Proceed, but with normal caution.
[11] For the next 7 km; 2 mi. to the village of Jamal Agha, one passes through fertile landscape and much of the way is lined with sanjit trees (jubjub) which scent the air with
almost too much sweetness in the spring. Jamal Agha is a typical old-style village with a bazaar. Saturday is bazaar day at Jamal Agha and it is an exciting treat to visit any village
on bazaar day. Sleepy and quiet during the rest of the week, the bazaar suddenly erupts into a riot of color and happy bustle which lasts from early morning until just after noon. Itinerant
craftsmen bring their wares, setting them out for display by the roadside. Barbers, shoemakers and tailors set up shop beside them and villagers from miles around come to buy and barter.
On the outskirts, horses and donkeys happily chomp away at the grass beside juis (small irrigation canals) while they wait patiently to be homeward bound.
[12] Deh Bali, another typical village, lies 4 km; 2.5 mi ahead. At the end of this bazaar, take a small road branching off to the right. About fifteen minutes later this becomes a
pretty road winding down through groves of mulberry trees to Bazaar-i-Sayad (6 km; 4 mi from Deh Bali) consisting of a couple of charming little teahouses. Sayad are a group of
specialists who net and hunt fish and migratory birds for sale in Gulbahar and Kabul. You may note a number of very large demoiselle crane standing in the fields near their homes. These are
used as judas birds to lure the flocks of wild birds which fly over this valley in great numbers during spring and fall.
[13] The Panjsher River lies just ahead. Tall concrete pillars rise from it, the beginnings of the unfinished Burj-i-Abdullah Bridge which was started in 1970. When and if this
project is completed, a good road will connect Gulbahar with Qara Bagh on the main highway, crossing the river at this point.
(Click here to view original photos from this section of "An Historical Guide to Kabul.")
[14] A circular mound above the river on the opposite side with a modern construction at one corner is the supposed site of an outpost dating from the time of Alexander the Great in the
middle of the 4th century B.C. Today it is called Burj-i-Abdullah, Abdullah's Tower. Behind it, and to the left, a long mound marks the site of a Greco-Bactrian city of the last centuries B.C.
which became the Kushan capital of Kapisa during the early centuries A.D. It is here, in 1939, that French archaeologists with DAFA (Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan)
found the twentieth century's most spectacular finds. In two small rooms, exquisitely carved ivories wrought in classic Indian style were stacked side by side with fine Chinese lacquers and an
infinite variety of Roman bronzes, bas-reliefs and Alexandrian glass. These are now on display in the Begram Room at the Kabul Museum,
Begram being the modern name for this area. They represent the extent and richness of trade along the famous Silk Route and they speak of the affluence of the city of Kapisa when it was the
summer capital of the Kushan Empire which reached down into India and up to the Gobi Desert.
[15] Kapisa was a religious center as well. Near by, to the east (long hike, ask villagers to guide you), two Buddhist monasteries were excavated, called Paitawa and Shotorak,
dating probably from the 3rd century A.D., or later. Two bas-reliefs in the Kabul Museum are extremely interesting for they clearly represent an
indigenous art style from the Kapisa area. Shotorak was a monastery built for Chinese hostages taken by the Kushans and it is described in some detail by Hsuen Tsung, the Chinese pilgrim who
passed through in the 7th century A.D. By this time, the power of the Kushans had been broken and local princes ruled, some Buddhists, some Hindu. Hinduism finally emerged as the
paramount religion and by the time the Arabs entered the area, shortly after Hsuen Tsung's visit, around 644 A.D., the unsettled political situation had caused the Hindu Shahi kings to set
themselves up in Kabul where the mountain afforded more protection. The final definite transfer of government to Kabul probably took place toward the end of the 8th century or beginning of the
9th century A.D., and the sands began to cover this once-brilliant city.
[16] There is practically nothing for the layman to see at the excavations except a portion of the outer defenses and two sections of pits. Those with a liking for history are
encouraged to cross over the river via a hand-pulled ferry run by the Sayad, however. The ride in the ferry is reason enough to make the crossing. There used to be lots of ferries such
as this throughout Afghanistan but each year, as bridges are thrown over the rivers, more and more disappear. This one, too, is in danger.
[17] From the top of the mound that once was Kapisa, one can summon images from many centuries. Alexander the Great at the head of his huge army composed of foot soldiers from Greece,
Egypt, and Persia, and a dashing cavalry of superb riders from Central Asia. The execution of Governor Turiaspes by order of Alexander after he heard of the Governor's excesses in
misgovernment while he camped on the banks of the River Indus, many thousands of miles away. The steady stream of caravans carrying the luxury goods of the world.
[18] And much later, the defeat of a Mongol army by the hapless Jalaluddin of Khwarizm, probably his last victorious moment before he was hounded out of the country to die in exile.
This day, however, he stood firm with his troops even though a huge host seemed to face them in the half-light of dawn. Initiating the attack, he watched with wonder as the Mongols fled,
only to discover that the "host" consisted primarily of straw scarecrows tied to the backs of reserve horses. On a later day, Ghengis Khan himself rode across this battlefield with his
youngest son, Tuli, beside him, pointing out the errors of the generals.
[19] But the present is no less dramatic than imagined history. The towering mountains of the Hindu Kush stand majestically across the river to the north.
Exits from which many streams rush forth to water the lush expanse of Kohistan are clearly visible. The many passes which gave entrance to the caravans of the past still channel goods and
peoples into this beautiful valley. The old route to India followed the Panjsher River to Sarobi; the new highway passes on the east. The old route is still passable for the adventurous.
About three hours from Gulbahar to Sarobi where it joins the paved highway.
[20] To find the rooms where the Begram treasure was found, walk west along the southern edge of the mound. On the way, you will note a long trench. This was the bazaar and the series
of square pits represent shops. Further along you will find another series of rooms and it was here the treasure came to light in two small rooms against a tower in the outer wall. They may
have been the storeroom of some well-to-do merchant, or rooms in a wealthy household where the valuables were hastily sealed up prior to an enemy attack.
[21] The plain on the other side of the mound, away from the river, is humped with countless mounds and hillocks representing the ruins of the vast sprawling city which was Kapisa,
in contrast to the large mound which was the citadel. Many thousands of coins have been recovered from here (Charles Masson reports he collected about 90,000 between 1833 and 1837!) and much
surely lies hidden for future archaeologists to find. Negotiations for new excavations are, in fact, in progress.
More photos of the Panjsher Valley:
