Chicken Street ( prs, کوچه مرغ ''Koch-e Murgha'') is a narrow street located in the Shahr-e Naw district 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 22 municipal districts. Ac ...

east of the

Asamayi The Koh-e Asamai ( prs, کوه آسمایی ''Kōh-e Āsamā'ī'') is a mountain located directly to the west of downtown Kabul, Afghanistan at an elevation of . It is known colloquially as the ''Television Hill'' due to the large TV mast and ant ...

. It has been an iconic shopping street in the city and popular with foreigners, famous for its carpets, handicrafts and antiques.

History

Chicken Street was the major attraction for foreigners during the Hippie trail from the 1960s to late 1970s. Afghan coats, bracelets and plenty of

hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a cannabis (drug), drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. Eu ...

made it popular. Hippies would also smoke

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy '' Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...

here. Along with hotels, it provided items for the travelers to use en route towards

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province , subdivision_name1 ...

. The street and tourism in general declined with the start of the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

. Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan and the influx of foreign diplomats and other visitors, the street was thriving again for it became a popular place for Afghan souvenirs. Traditional Afghan rugs and

lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mine ...

stones were popular with shoppers. Emerald, rubies, exotic food and artists selling paintings are among the other attractions on offer. However the departure of most foreign

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

troops by 2014 led to a significant downturn in business. Security issues have also hampered business. Despite its name, the street is not known for its sale of

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...

s - those are instead sold on the adjacent Flower Street. Chicken Street shopping - Kabul - کابل.jpg, Antiquity in Chicken Street Kabul Antiquity Shop2.jpg, Antiquity in Chicken Street Kabul Antiquity Shop1.jpg, Antiquity in Chicken Street

In popular culture

Chicken Street was the subject of the eponymous 2005 novel by Amanda Sthers. The street is featured in the 2007 documentary film '' 16 Days in Afghanistan''.

References

{{reflist Streets in Kabul Hippie movement

History

In popular culture

See also

References