Istālif ( prs, استالف) is a village northwest of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

, situated at an elevation of in the

Shomali Plains The Shomali Plain, also called the Shomali Valley, is a plateau just north of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is approximately 30 km wide and 80 km long. Once, it was a fertile area, rich with water, where fruits and vegetables were cultivated, an ...

, west of

Kalakan Kalakan prs, کلکان, is a village located in the center of Kalakan District, Kabul Province, Afghanistan. See also *Kalakan District *Kabul Province Kabul (Persian: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four ...

and south-west of

Bagram Bagram (; Pashto/ fa, بگرام) is a town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir ...

. It is the center of

Istalif District Istalif District is located in the northwestern part of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of 8,500 (2002 official UNHCR est.), a mixture of Tajiks, Pashtuns and Hazaras. Istalif district borders Parvan Province to the north and w ...

Kabul Province Kabul (Persian: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul city, which is also Afghanistan's capital and largest city. The population of the Kabul Province i ...

. Istalif is famous for its handmade glazed potteries.

Etymology

Its name might derive from Greek ''staphile'' ("bunch of grapes") or

Parachi Parachi (''Parāčī'') is an Iranian languages, Iranian language. Parachi is spoken by some 600 individuals of the Parachi ethnic group in eastern Afghanistan, mainly in the upper part of Nijrab District, northeast of Kabul province, Kabul, ou ...

''estuf'' ("cow-parsnip").

History

Babur watching men altering the course of the stream

Istalif was always renowned as one of the most beautiful places in Afghanistan – the Emperor

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through hi ...

fell in love with it in the 16th century and used to hold parties in his rose garden and summer house there.

Alexander Burnes Captain Sir Alexander Burnes (16 May 1805 – 2 November 1841) was a Scottish explorer, military officer, and diplomat associated with the Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and e ...

, a British political agent to Dost Mohammed in the 19th century, had come here to relax amid the plane and walnut trees. He described that the mountains streams are full of fishes and the orchards and vineyards are richest. During the final phase of the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession di ...

, as General Pollock's Army of Retribution marched into Kabul, many families fled to Istalif. Troops were dispatched, which surrounded the town, attacked, and then systemically pillaged it. The British and Indian soldiers set fire to the cotton cloth of their victims and burnt them alive. They massacred women and children as well. Until 1998 it was a breadbasket for the region and was surrounded by lush orchards growing grapes, roses and wheat. That year the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

came to the village, cutting down trees, burning homes and killing livestock. After destruction, the village has been rebuilding itself after 2002.

Gallery

File:Istalif postcard 1950s.jpg, Postcard of Istalif, circa 1950s File:Istalif - Afghanistan - After the war.jpg, Inside Istalif after the Taliban war

References

External links

Rehabilitation programPhoto of a highrise in Istalif
{{Parwan Province Populated places in Parwan Province