sightseeing

Bala Hissar

Experience great views over Kabul by following the ancient city walls leading from Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress, up the mountainside. The fortress was rebuilt in the 19th century after the British army saw that it was all but destroyed it in the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

Bamiyan

Visit Bamiyan, the main town near the Hindu Kush. The second- to fifth-century Great Buddhas were destroyed here to international outcry in 2001.

Hindu Kush

Marvel at the Hindu Kush, a wild and remote region consisting of two huge mountain ranges. Although travelling by car is possible, the steepness of the routes makes vehicles prone to breakdowns. For those who make the journey, the mountains, valleys and lakes provide stunning scenery.

Kabul Museum

Though the museum's contents have been dramatically depleted over the years, there is still a good amount of artefacts on display, including Graeco-Bactrian Buddha statues, and a marble basin from Kandhar often referred to as Buddha's Begging Bowl.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Afghanistan_Statua_di_Budda_1.jpg/250px-Afghanistan_Statua_di_Budda_1.jpg
http://www.livius.org/a/1/alexander/hindu_kush.jpg
http://www.kabulguide.net/kbl-photostory-kabulmuseum_files/image002.jpg

sports

The most popular sport in Afghanistan is Buzkashi, a team sport played on horseback.  The steppers' people were skilled riders who could grab a goat or calf from the ground while riding a horse at full gallop. The goal of a player is to grab the carcass of a headless goat or calf and then get it clear of the other players and pitch it across a goal line or into a target circle or vat.



The second most popular sport is football, followed by cricket. Cricket gained popularity in early 2002, when Afghan refugees who had lived in Pakistan (where cricket is very popular) returned home and brought the sport with them. In fact, Afghanistan and Oman shared the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Twenty20 Cup in November 2007, an event that featured 10 Asian nations, and on April 9, 2010, they defeated Nepal to win the ACC Trophy Elite.



A lot has changed since the fall of the Taliban for Afghan sports and athletes.  For instance, now more women have taken up various types of sports such martial arts, and boxing.  On December 29, 2007, a bodybuilding club for women was inaugurated in Parwan province. During the dark rule of the Taliban, participation by both men and women in many sports were restricted, and buzkashi was even banned. Instead, the Taliban used Kabul's sports stadium to carry out public executions.

http://www.afghan-web.com/sports/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/wp-content/uploads/afghan-cricket-404_673323c.jpg

agriculture

Only a very small share of Afghanistan's land (about 15 percent) is suitable for farming; about 6 percent of the land is actually cultivated. At least two-thirds of this farmland requires irrigation. Water is drawn from springs and rivers and is distributed through surface ditches and through underground channels, or tunnels, which are excavated and maintained by a series of vertical shafts.



Wheat is the most important crop, followed by barley, corn, and rice. Cotton is another important and widely cultivated crop. Fruit and nuts are among Afghanistan's most important exports. Afghanistan is noted for its unusually sweet grapes and melons, grown mostly in the southwest, north of the Hindu Kush, and in the fertile regions around Herat. Raisins are also an important export. Other important fruits are apricots, cherries, figs, mulberries, and pomegranates.



Livestock is nearly as important as crops to Afghanistan's economy. Karakul sheep are raised in large numbers in the north. The tight curly fleece of Karakul lambs is used to make Persian lamb coats. Other breeds of sheep, such as the fat-tailed sheep, and goats are also raised.
Afghanistan is a major supplier in the international drug trade. It is the second-largest opium producer after Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), with 950 metric tons produced in 1994.

http://www.afghanistans.com/information/economy/Agriculture.htm
http://www.fas.usda.gov/country/Afghanistan/us-afghanistan.asp
http://www.geocities.jp/kyouhanshinbun/afghanistan-agriculture.jpg
 http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_1217_harvest_afghanistan_m.jpg

climate

The climate is typical of an arid or semiarid steppe, with cold winters and dry summers. The mountain regions of the northeast are subarctic with dry and cold winters. In the mountains bordering Pakistan, a divergent fringe effect of the monsoon, generally coming from the southeast, brings tropical air masses that determine the climate between July and September. At times, these air masses advance into central and southern Afghanistan, bringing increased humidity and some rain. On the intermountain plateaus the winds do not blow very strongly, but in the Sistan Basin there are severe blizzards that occur during the winter, generally December through February. In the western and southern regions a northerly wind, known as the "wind of 120 days," blows during the summer months of June to September. This wind is usually accompanied by intense heat, drought, and sand storms. Dust and whirlwinds frequently occur during the summer months on the flats in the southern part of the country. Temperature and precipitation are controlled by the exchange of air masses. The highest temperatures and the lowest precipitation prevail in the drought-ridden, poorly watered southern plateau region, which extends over the boundaries with Iran and Pakistan. The Central Mountains, with higher peaks ascending toward the Pamir Knot, represent another distinct climatic region. From the Koh-e Baba Range to the Pamir Knot, January temperatures may drop to -15 C or lower in the highest mountain areas; July temperatures vary between 0 and 26 C depending on altitude. In the mountains the annual mean precipitation, much of which is snowfall, increases eastward and is highest in the Koh-e Baba Range, the western part of the Pamir Knot, and the Eastern Hindukush. Precipitation in these regions and the eastern monsoon area is about forty centimeters per year. The eastern monsoon area encompasses patches in the eastern border area with Pakistan, in irregular areas in eastern Afghanistan from north of Asmar to just north of Darkh-e Yahya, and occasionally as far west as the Kabul Valley. The Wakhan Corridor, however, which has temperatures ranging from 9 C in the summer to below -21 C in the winter, receives fewer than ten centimeters of rainfall annually. Permanent snow covers the highest mountain peaks. In the mountainous region adjacent to northern Pakistan, the snow is often more than two meters deep during the winter months. Valleys often become snow traps as the high winds sweep much of the snow from mountain peaks and ridges. Precipitation generally fluctuates greatly during the course of the year in all parts of the country. Surprise rainstorms often transform the episodically flowing rivers and streams from puddles to torrents; unwary invading armies have been trapped in such flooding more than once in Afghanistan's history. Nomadic and seminomadic Afghans have also succumbed to the sudden flooding of their camps. http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/35.htm http://www.tear.org.au/advocacy/campaigns/climate-change/afghanistan/

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/world/2001/afghanistan-climate.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stark_contrasts_in_Afghanistan_-_080907-F-0168M-071.jpg