Tourism in Afghanistan is regulated by the Ministry of Information and Culture. There are at least 350 tourism companies operating in

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 bordere ...

. Tourism was at its peak before the 1978 Saur Revolution, which was followed by the decades of war. Between 2013 and 2016, Afghan embassies issued between 15,000 and 20,000 tourist visas annually. Afghanistan has four international airports, which include

Kabul International Airport , nativename-r = , image = Flightline at Kabul International Airport.jpeg , caption = The flightline at Kabul International Airport in January 2012 , IATA = KBL , ICAO = OAKB , ...

Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport ( prs, میدان هوائی مزار شریف, ''Meydâne Havâyeye Mazâre Šarif''; ps, مزار شریف نړیوال هوايي ډګر) , also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī Internatio ...

, the

Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, also referred to as Kandahar International Airport ( ps, د کندهار نړيوال هوايي ډګر) and by some military officials as Kandahar Airfield, KAF) , is located about south-east of the city Ka ...

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

, and Herat International Airport. It also has a number of smaller domestic airports such as

Bamyan Airport Bamyan Airport , officially named Shahid Mazari Airport, is located in the city of Bamyan, which is the capital of Bamyan Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and ...

Bost Airport Bost Airport ( ps, د بوست هوايي ډګر; ) is an airport serving Lashkargah, a city in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. It is located on the east bank of the Helmand River, north of its junction with the Arghandab River. It is also west ...

Chaghcharan Airport , nativename-r = , image = Afghan Air Power (4423773113).jpg , image-width = 250px , caption = Mil Mi-17s of the Afghan Air Force in 2010, a year before the runway was asphalted , IATA = CCN , ICAO = OACC , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , p ...

Farah Airport Farah Airport is located in the eastern section of Farah in Afghanistan, which is the capital city of Farah Province. The airport is under the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population of southwestern Afghani ...

Fayzabad Airport , nativename-r = , IATA = FBD , ICAO = OAFZ , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Afghanistan , pushpin_label = FBD , pushpin_label_position = bottom , type ...

, Ghazni Airport,

Jalalabad Airport , nativename-r = , image = Nangarhar Airport.jpg , caption = View of the airport's control tower in 2008 , IATA = JAA , ICAO = OAJL , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , pushpi ...

, Khost Airport,

Kunduz Airport Kunduz Airport is located about southeast of Kunduz (also spelled Konduz), the capital of Kunduz Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population ...

, Maymana Airport, Nili Airport,

Tarinkot Airport , nativename-r = , image = C-17 Globemaster III 6.jpg , caption = An American C-17 Globemaster III off-loading equipment before the airport's runway was concreted (June 20, 2009) , IATA = TII , ICAO = OATN , type ...

, and

Zaranj Airport , nativename-r = , image = Zaranj Airfield assessment-5.jpg , caption = U.S. Marine Corps performing a safety inspection of the runway in 2012 , IATA = ZAJ , ICAO = OAZJ , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , pushpin_map_caption = Location of airpo ...

Guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use ...

s and hotels are found in every

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Afghanistan. Some of the major hotels in

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 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

are the

Serena Hotel Serena Hotels is a hospitality company which operates up-scale hotels and resorts in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia. Serena comprises a collection of 36 luxury resorts, safari lodges, and hotels, which are located in East Africa ( ...

, the

Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul The Inter-Continental (also known as the Inter-Con) is a Star (classification)#Hotelstars, five star hotel located in the Karte Parwan neighbourhood in western Kabul, Afghanistan. It served as the nation's first international luxury hotel, one of ...

, and the Safi Landmark Hotel. Most places in the country serve traditional

Afghan cuisine Afghan cuisine ( ps, افغان پخلی, translit=Afghan Pakhlai, ) is influenced by Persian, Central Asian and Indian cuisines due to Afghanistan's close proximity and cultural ties. The cuisine is mainly based on Afghanistan's main crops, su ...

Badakhshan

Fayzabad, the capital and largest city of

Badakhshan Province Badakhshan Province (Persian/ Uzbek: , ''Badaxšān'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lower ...

, has several hotels and tourist attractions. The

serves the population of the entire province. There is also a road network from Fayzabad to other districts. Tourists can book a hotel in the city and then drive from there to Ishkashim, which is a

border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different cou ...

next to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border. They can then drive to the

Wakhan National Park __NOTOC__ Wakhan National Park is a national park in Afghanistan. Established in 2014, the park comprises the entire district of Wakhan, extending along the Wakhan Corridor between the Pamir mountains and the Hindu Kush, bordering Tajikistan t ...

Wakhan District Wakhan District is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The district has a border with neighboring Tajikistan in the north, Xinjiang in China to the east, and Pakistan to the south (specifically Gilgit-Baltista ...

to as far as Baza'i Gonbad or the

Wakhjir Pass The Wakhjir Pass,Ludwig W. Adamec. Historical and political gazetteer of Afghanistan Vol. 1. Badakhshan Province and northeastern Afghanistan. Graz : Akad. Druck- und Verl.-Anst., 1972.p. 185. also spelled Vakhjir Pass, is a mountain pass in t ...

(

Afghanistan–China border The Afghanistan–China border is a boundary between Afghanistan and China, beginning at the tripoint of both countries with the Pakistan-administrated region of Kashmir ( Gilgit-Baltistan), following the watershed along the Mustagh Range, and ...

). Wakhan is one of the most coldest and isolated

districts of Afghanistan The districts of Afghanistan, known as ''wuleswali'' ( ps, ولسوالۍ, ''wuləswāləi''; fa, شهرستان, ''shahrestān'') are secondary-level administrative units, one level below provinces. The Afghan government issued its first d ...

Balkh

The

Shrine of Ali The Hazrat Ali Mazar ( ar, حضرت علی مزار), located in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, is a mosque which Sunni Muslims believe contains the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Sunnis regard Ali as their Fourth Rightly Guided Caliph and they pay tr ...

is located in the center of

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

. From there many people visit the border town of

Hairatan Hairatan ( prs, حیرتان; ps, حیراتان; Uzbek Cyrillic: Ҳайратон, Uzbek Latin: Hayraton) is a border town in northern Balkh Province of Afghanistan. The Hairatan dry port and border checkpoint is located in the eastern section ...

, which sits next to the

Amu River The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central As ...

near the

Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border The Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border is in length and runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan to the tripoint with Tajikistan along the Amu Darya river. It is by far the shortest of Uzbekistan's external borders. Description The entire border f ...

. The ancient town of Balkh is located about northwest of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Bamyan

The Band-e Amir National Park is located in the

Bamyan Province Bamyan Province ( prs, ولایت بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan, Bāmīān or Bāmyān is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central highlands of the Afghanistan. The terrain in Bamyan is mountainous or semi-m ...

of Afghanistan. There are several modern hotels in

Bamyan Bamyan or Bamyan Valley (); ( prs, بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan or Bamian is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 70,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an al ...

, which is the capital of the province. The site of the

Buddhas of Bamyan The Buddhas of Bamiyan (or Bamyan) were two 6th-century monumental statues carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley of Hazarajat region in central Afghanistan, northwest of Kabul at an elevation of . Carbon dating of the structural ...

is also located in this province. Some people visit Bamyan in the winter for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

purposes. Below are some notable tourist sites in Bamyan Province: * Band-e Amir National Park *

Buddhas of Bamiyan The Buddhas of Bamiyan (or Bamyan) were two 6th-century monumental statues carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley of Hazarajat region in central Afghanistan, northwest of Kabul at an elevation of . Carbon dating of the structural ...

Shahr-e Gholghola Shahr-e Gholghola or Gholghola City ( prs, شهر غلغله) (also City of Screams, City of Woe, City of Sorrows) is an archaeological site located near the town of Bamyan, Afghanistan. The Siege of Bamyan took place here in 1221 during the Mo ...

* Zuhak

Ghazni

A number of mausoleums of

Ghaznavid rulers The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwes ...

are located in and around the ancient city of

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

. Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in

Ghazni Province Ghazni (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in southeastern Afghanistan. The province contains 19 districts, encompassing over a thousand villages and roughly 1.3 million people, making it the 5th most populous province. Th ...

: * Band-e Sultan *Burial site of

Al-Biruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...

*Burial site of Mahmud of Ghazni * Citadel of Ghazni *

Ghazni Minarets Ghazni Minarets are two elaborately decorated minaret towers located in Ghazni city, central Afghanistan. They were built in middle of the twelfth century and are the only surviving elements of the mosque of Bahram Shah.C.E. Bosworth, ''The Later ...

* Jaghori * Sardeh Band Dam

Herat

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

, which is the capital of

Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...

, is an ancient city that has many historical sites for visitors to see. Below are some notable tourist sites in Herat Province: *

Gawhar Shad Mausoleum The Gawhar Shad Mausoleum, also known as the Tomb of Baysunghur, is an Islamic burial structure located in what is now Herat, Afghanistan. Built in the 15th century, the structure served as a royal tomb for members of the Timurid dynasty and is p ...

* Great Mosque of Herat * Herat Citadel *

Islam Qala Islām Qala ( Persian/Pashto: اسلام قلعه, also ''Eslām Qalʿeh''), known historically as Kafir Qala, is a border town in the western Herat province of Afghanistan, near the Afghanistan–Iran border. It is the official entry by land fro ...

(border town near the

Afghanistan–Iran border The Afghanistan–Iran border is in length and runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the north to the tripoint with Pakistan in the south. Description The border begins at the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the Harirud river before procee ...

) *

Jihad Museum The Jihad Museum is located in the western provincial capital of Herat in Afghanistan. It was built in 2010 as a place for Afghans to understand past conflicts and their history. Since its opening, the museum has welcomed many visitors, including ...

* Musalla complex *

Salma Dam Afghan-India Friendship Dam (AIFD), formerly Salma Dam, is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project located on the Hari River in Chishti Sharif District of Herat Province in western Afghanistan. Since this project is funded and constructed by ...

(Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam) * Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah *Takht-e Safar

Kabul

Kabul has many hotels, guest houses and tourist attractions. The

has an international terminal and a domestic terminal. There is also a bus terminal that provides coach (bus) service to other provinces of the country. The Ghazi Stadium often hosts football matches. Next to the stadium is an indoor skating ground called Skateistan. There are two

bowling alleys Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...

, one is named Bravo Bowling and Cafe while the other is named Striker Bowling. There are also two

indoor water park An indoor water park is a type of water park that is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions. History Some of the first indoor water parks are at Duinre ...

s, and several snooker and

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . There are three major subdivisions ...

clubs in different parts of the city. Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in Kabul Province:

Abdul Rahman Mosque

The Abdul Rahman Mosque, which was completed in late 2009 and officially inaugurated in July 2012, is one of the largest mosques in Kabul. It is adjacent to the

Zarnegar Park Zarnegar Park ( prs, پارک زرنگار, ''Park-e Zarnegar'') is an urban park in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan, north of the river. The park, a popular landmark, has a green hill in its center with trees and decorated with flowers. A large ...

in the

Wazir Akbar Khan Wazīr Akbar Khān (Pashto/Dari: ; 1816-1847), born Mohammad Akbar Khān () and also known as Amīr Akbar Khān (), was an Afghan prince, general, emir for a year, and finally wazir/heir apparent to Dost Mohammad Khan until his death in 1847. ...

neighborhood of the city, not far from the

Kabul Serena Hotel Kabul Serena Hotel is a luxury hotel in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. Originally built in 1945, the Kabul hotel was restored and expanded by AKDN and named as Kabul Serena Hotel. It was inaugurated by President Karzai and the Aga Khan in 2005. ...

Bagh-e Babur

The Gardens of Babur is a historic park in Kabul. It is the resting-place of Babur, the first emperor of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. The gardens are thought to have been developed in the 16th century when Babur gave orders for the construction of an avenue garden in the city, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama.

Bagh-e Bala

Bala Hissar

The Bala Hissar is a fortress believed to be built over 1,500 years ago. It was last destroyed by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in the 19th century and then abandoned. It is being restored.

Chihil Sutun

The Chihil Sutun Palace was built in the late 19th century for

Habibullah Khan Habibullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his death in 1919. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901 ...

, who was Prince at the time. It was later used primarily as a

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use ...

for diplomats and important figures such as U.S. President

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

and

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...

of the USSR.

Darul Aman Palace

The

Darul Aman Palace Darul Aman Palace ( ps, د دارالامان ماڼۍ; prs, قصر دارالامان; 'Abode of Peace' or, in a double meaning, 'Abode of Amanllah) is a three-story-tall palace located in Darulaman, which about south-west of the centre of Ka ...

(King's Palace) was built for King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan ( Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...

. It sits directly across from the parliament building in the southern section of the city.

Id Gah Mosque

The

Id Gah Mosque Eid Gah Mosque or Id Gah Mosque ( prs, مسجد عید‌گاه), is the second largest mosque in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It is considered the cardinal religious mosque in the country, where a million people offer Eid prayers twice a ...

is one of the oldest and largest mosques in Kabul. Its historical importance has been that of

Faisal Mosque The Faisal Mosque ( ur, , faisal masjid) is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in capital Islamabad. It is the fifth-largest mosque in the world and the largest within South Asia, located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Pakistan's ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

, Pakistan, where top officials and the city's wealthy people would perform

Eid prayers Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid ( ar, صلاة العيد), are holy holiday prayers in the Islamic tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in Arabic is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when Muslims congregate with ...

Habibullah Zazai Park

Habibullah Zazai Park is the largest amusement park located in and around Ahmad Shah Baba Mina, which is in the far eastern part of Kabul. The park sits on a hillside and provides large walking space with great views of the city. Another such park is called the City Park, which is much smaller and located near Kabul Zoo.

Kabul Zoo

Kabul Zoo 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 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

has around 280 animals, which includes 45 species of birds and mammals and 36 species of fish. Among the animals there are two lions and a khanzir (

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

), which is extremely rare in Afghanistan. As many as 5,000 people visit the zoo during the weekends.

National Museum of Afghanistan

The

National Museum of Afghanistan The National Museum of Afghanistan (Dari: موزیم ملی افغانستان, ''Mūzīyam-e mellī-ye Afghānestān''; ps, د افغانستان ملی موزیم, ''Də Afghānistān Millī Mūzīyəm''), also known as the Kabul Museum, is a ...

sits next to the

in the southeastern section of the city. The museum's collection had earlier been one of the most important in Central Asia, with over 100,000 items dating back several millennia. With the start of the civil war in 1992, the museum was looted numerous times resulting in a loss of 70% of the 100,000 objects on display. Since 2007, a number of international organizations have helped to recover over 8,000 artifacts, the most recent being a limestone sculpture from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Approximately 843 artifacts were returned by the United Kingdom in 2012, including the famous 1st Century Bagram Ivories.

Paghman

Paghman Paghman (Persian/Pashto: پغمان) is a town in the hills near Afghanistan's capital of Kabul. It is the seat of the Paghman District (in the western part of Kabul Province) which has a population of about 120,000 (2002 official UNHCR est.), ma ...

has been used historically as a summer retreat. Most people go there for

backpacking (hiking) Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

and see large European style mansions and other structures, including the Paghman Citadel which was recently built. It is located northwest of Kabul. The

Qargha Qargha ( prs, بند قرغه) is a dam and reservoir at Qargheh, Qargha near Kabul, in Afghanistan. The reservoir and its peripheral areas provide for recreation facilities such as boating, surfing, golfing, etc. and has a hotel on its bank. The ...

picnic area is located on the way to Paghman. The area is being developed by the government to attract more visitors. There are a number of places to eat and relax.

Sakhi Shrine

Shah wa Arus Dam

Tajbeg Palace

The

Tajbeg Palace Tajbeg Palace ( ps, د تاج بېګ ماڼۍ; fa, قصر تاج بيگ; ''Palace of the Large Crown''), also inaccurately called the Queen's Palace, is one of the palaces in the popular Darulaman area of Kabul, Afghanistan. The stately mansion i ...

(Queen's Palace) was built in the 1920's by King Amanullah Khan for Queen Soraya. It is located near the Darul Aman Palace. One of its purposes was for women of Afghanistan to address their issues with the Queen. Another was for women only parties to take place there. Afghanistan has always been a very conservative country where men and women do not sit or party together.

Kandahar

Visiting

Kandahar Province Kandahār ( ps, ; Kandahār, prs, ; ''Qandahār'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzga ...

has long been avoided by foreign tourists due to insecurity. Despite that, a number of foreigners have visited the province in recent years. Aino Mina, which is located in the northeast of

, has a number of large mosques, parks, hotels, places to shop and eat, sports facilities, etc. There is also a

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

terminal in Aino Mina. Another is located in the western end of Kandahar. Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in Kandahar Province: * Chilzina Park (historical site in Sarpuza) *

Dahla Dam The Dahla Dam, also known as Arghandab Dam and Kasa, is located in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, approximately north of the provincial capital Kandahar. Constructed in 1952, it is said to be the second largest dam ...

(located in

Shah Wali Kot District Shah Wali Kot District ( ps, شاه ولي کوټ ولسوالۍ, fa, ولسوالی شاه ولی کوت) is situated in the northern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Khakrez District to the west, Naish District and Oruzgan P ...

about 30 minutes drive north of the city) *

Maiwand Maiwand is a village in Afghanistan within the Maywand District of Kandahar Province. It is located 50 miles northwest of Kandahar, on the main Kandahar– Lashkargah road. The area is irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority.

(where the famous 1880

Battle of Maiwand The Battle of Maiwand (Dari: نبرد میوند, Pashto: د ميوند جگړه), fought on 27 July 1880, was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Ayub Khan, the Afghan forces defeated a much smal ...

was fought between Afghan and

forces) *Mausoleum of

Mirwais Hotak Mir Ways ibn Shah 'Alam, also known as Mirwais Khan Hotak (Pashto/Dari: ) (1673–1715) was an Afghan ruler from the Ghilji tribe of Kandahar, Afghanistan, and the founder of the Hotak dynasty. In 1709, after overthrowing and assassinating Geo ...

(located in Mirwais Mina in the western part of Kandahar) *

Mundigak Mundigak ( ps, منډیګک) is an archaeological site in Kandahar province in Afghanistan. During the Bronze Age, it was a center of the Helmand culture. It is situated approximately northwest of Kandahar near Shāh Maqsūd, on the upper draina ...

(an Indus Valley site) * Narange Qala (meaning "Orange Castle") * Reg District (picnic area where men race SUVs in sand dunes) * Shrine of the Cloak (across the street from the Kandahar Governor's House) *Shrine of Baba Wali (hillside with trees providing great views of

Arghandab River Arghandab is a river in Afghanistan, about in length. It rises in Ghazni Province, west of the city of Ghazni, and flows southwest passing near the city of Kandahar, and then joins the Helmand River below Grishk. In its lower course, it is mu ...

and farms) *Shrine of Sher Soorkh (coronation place of Ahmad Shah Durrani)

Nangarhar

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

, the capital of Nangarhar Province, has a number of hotels and tourist attractions. Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in Nangarhar Province: *

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

Park (across the street from Siraj-ul-Emarat Park) *

Darunta Dam The Darunta Dam ( ps, درونټه برېښناکوټ) is located on the Kabul River near Darunta, approximately west of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan. It is owned and operated by the country's Ministry of E ...

Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town ( ps, غازي امان الله خان ښارګوټی) is a planned community located next to the Kabul–Jalalabad Road roughly southeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. The town is named after A ...

(Ghazi Amanullah Khan Park and

Ghazi Amanullah Khan International Cricket Stadium Ghāzī Amānullāh International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad ( ps, د غازي امان الله نړيوال کرکټ لوبغالی) is an international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the heart of Ghazi Amanullah Town, ...

) *Mausoleum of

(Siraj-ul-Emarat Park) *Mausoleum of

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Abdul Ghaffār Khān (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan (), and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan (), was a Pakistani Pashtun, independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar ...

*Mausoleum of Mohammad Gul Khan Momand *

Torkham Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of A ...

(border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan)

Nimruz

Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in

Nimruz Province Nimruz or Nimroz (Dari: ; Balochi: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also borde ...

: *

Kamal Khan Dam Kamal Khan Dam ( ps, کمال خان بند) is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project on the Helmand River in Chahar Burjak District of Nimruz Province in south-western Afghanistan. It is located about 95 km to the southeast of Zaranj ...

(national park) *

Zaranj Zaranj or Zarang ( Persian/Pashto/ bal, زرنج) is a city in southwestern Afghanistan, near the border with Iran, which has a population of 160,902 people as of 2015. It is the capital of Nimruz Province and is linked by highways with Lashkarga ...

(border town near the

)

Panjshir

Below are some notable sites for travelers to visit in

Panjshir Province Panjshir ( Dari: , literally "Five Lions," also spelled as Panjsher) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country containing the Panjshir Valley. The province is divided into seven distri ...

: *Mausoleum of Ahmad Shah Massoud in

Bazarak Bāzārak is the provincial capital of Panjshir Province, in the Panjshir Valley of northeastern Afghanistan. It is a small city with a total population of 24,723 and has only three police districts ( nahias). The total land area of Bazarak city ...

Panjshir Valley The Panjshir Valley (also spelled Panjsher or Darah-I-Panjshir; Pashto/Dari: – ''Dare-ye Panjšēr''; literally ''Valley of the Five Lions'') is a valley in northeastern Afghanistan, north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. It is di ...

Culture and security issues

Afghanistan is an Islamic country where alcohol and drugs are prohibited. In Islam, a tourist or a traveler is called a '' musafir''. Such person is generally treated as a diplomat and well protected under

Afghan culture The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for over three millennia, tracing record to at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE, and encompasses the cultural diversity of the nation. Afghanistan's culture is historically strongly ...

. Every

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

is a place of ultimate protection against those wanting to cause harm. Although Afghans are generally very friendly to tourists or travelers, kidnapping for ransom still exists in the county. Several foreign tourists have been kidnapped and killed in Afghanistan in the past. Finding an honest and reliable tour guide is the key to safety in Afghanistan. In June 2022,

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

spokesman

Zabiullah Mujahid Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture ...

said that "anyone" can visit Afghanistan for tourism, and the Ministry of Information and Culture started promoting it while claiming that Afghanistan is now safe. This, however, does not mean that unexploded ordnances or

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

s no longer exist because they likely still do.

Stamps

Below is a series of old post stamps of Afghanistan from the 1960s and 1970s that promote tourism in the country. Stamp of Afghanistan - 1966 - Colnect 671433 - Tourist Publicity.jpeg,

Bagh-e Bala Palace The Bagh-e Bala Palace ( prs, قصر باغ بالا کابل) is a former royal palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located at a hilltop in the Bagh-e Bala (''High Garden'') park near Karte Parwan. The palace has a large pool (added in the 19 ...

and the Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan, both in Kabul Stamp of Afghanistan - 1969 - Colnect 671711 - Tourist Publicity - Badakhshan and Pamir Region.jpeg,

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...

region and the Pamir Mountains Stamp of Afghanistan - 1965 - Colnect 483158 - Buddha Statues from Bamian.jpeg,

Stamp of Afghanistan - 1970 - Colnect 431988 - Aman Ullah Birth Column - Triumphal Arch Paghman.jpeg, Triumphal arch of

References

External links

* *, Aug. 22, 2016, Arg (Office of the President of Afghanistan). {{Afghanistan topics