CHAPTER VIII
KANDAHAR
The road from Herat to Kandahar lies through districts rich in supplies. From Herat there are two great roads, a northern and southern, the latter passing through Sabzawar, Farah and Girishk to Kandahar, in which district it crosses the Zamindawar country, peopled in the main by the Duranis as far as the fords on the Helmund.
Sabzawar, which is 280 miles from Kandahar, is situated almost midway between Herat and Farah--90 miles from Herat and 71 miles from Farah. It stands 3550 feet above sea-level on the left bank of the Harud river, in an elbow of the stream and at the foot of the outlying spurs of the main ranges. Beyond and partly surrounding it there is a wide open plain, some 4 miles in circumference, well irrigated from the waters of the Harud river and, as a consequence, highly productive. The Sabzawar district contains the most fertile areas in the Herat province, a benevolent attention upon the part of Nature that renders the region of service as an intermediate base of supplies. No force, indeed, could resist the temptation of staying at such a point to refresh both man and beast, and to re-assemble its transport. The position is readily protected and the defensive value of the heights, which lie 2 miles distant to the south of the town, could be supplemented by the flooding of the lowlands from numerous water-courses which intersect the plain. The town draws its water from the Harud river, but certain of the villages are dependent upon canals. Several ruins impart an air of desolation to the plain, yet a pleasing sense of cultivation exists around the town itself, arising from the sparkle of running water and the freshness of green trees.
In recent years Sabzawar has outgrown its original dimensions, and the fort, a square structure with walls 200 yards to 250 yards in length, seven circular bastions on each front and one gate in the south face, has been abandoned. Its walls are in ruins and the interior is uninhabited, save for a small colony of Shikarpuri Hindus. Outside the wall is a ditch, now dry and partially filled with refuse. In the centre of this forlorn scene there is the Governor’s residence, permitting a pleasant view of green trees and fresh-looking grass, cool and even healthy. The town proper, although such a dignified description is inaccurate as the great majority of the population live in villages beyond the walls, is well-to-do, thriving and the centre of a busy trade. Between Nasratabad and itself trade is peculiarly active, the hides, wool, goatskins and dried fruits forwarded from Seistan to Turkestan making it a point of call. Piece goods, sugar and iron-ware are imported in return. The export trade of the town has an annual value of 1,500,000 rupees Indian, and the revenue of the district is 33,000 tomans in cash, and 4000 kharwars in grain. The trade is controlled by Russian Armenian merchants who, resident in its vicinity, travel between Seistan and the surrounding region, pushing articles of Russian manufacture. Their activity in this respect has created an important demand for such goods, which quite oust the few signs of Indian trade that the place at one time revealed.
Sabzawar, the town, is enclosed within a high wall, pierced by four gates--the Irak gate on the west, the Nishapur gate on the east, the Herat gate on the north and the Farah gate on the south. The bazaar, in which are nearly 800 shops, stretches between the eastern and western gates across the town. Its breadth is possibly half a mile and the circumference of the town is a little under 2½ miles. The town is only a gathering place for the district which supports a number of villages and, together with the enveloping pasturage and a wide belt of cultivation, is inhabited by Nurzai Duranis. Each village is a small fort in itself and is surrounded by a high mud wall erected for purposes of security. In size these forts are about 60 yards square; in all there may be some 5000 households in the district, which may be apportioned into 4500 in the villages, 400 in the town, 100 in the fort, with a combined population of 12,000 souls.
[Illustration: TYPICAL STREET SCENE]
Before reaching Farah it is necessary to cross the Farah Rud. This river, rising in the Taimani country, flows past Farah and Lash into the Hamun at its north-west angle, after a southerly course 200 miles in length. Its volume varies with the seasons. The water is usually clear and not quite drinkable for, after the main stream has been exhausted by the fields, the pools which remain in its deeper parts quickly become stagnant. In the spring it is a wide, deep river, always with sufficient water for irrigation in its course: even when nearly dry water is to be found by digging a foot into the river-bed. In the summer it is crossed on inflated skins or rafts of wood and reeds. The banks of the Farah Rud are covered with a jungle growth of tamarisk and mimosa. At the point where it is crossed by the north road from Herat to Kandahar it is fordable, although the bed is very irregular, with alternate rapids and deep pools. The ford is 1000 feet in breadth, but the channel in the dry season contracts to 50 yards, with a depth of 2½ feet. During the flood season caravans are apt to be detained for many weeks. At Farah the banks are 400 yards apart, with a stream in the dry season of 150 yards in breadth and 2 feet of water. At this point it is both clear and rapid.
Farah, 2460 feet above sea-level, lies 170 miles south of Herat, 71 miles from Sabzawar on the south Kandahar road, 150 miles from Girishk and 225 miles from Kandahar. It is a square, walled town; lying north and south and standing well out in the plain it has a diameter of one mile and is in ruins. The wall by which it is surrounded is strongly reminiscent of Herat and comprises an enormous embankment of earth, mixed with chopped straw. A covered way entirely surrounds it on the outside, and its original height was between 35 and 40 feet. Towers rested on the ramparts at one time but, deserted by its inhabitants and neglected by the garrison which is its sole population, it has fallen altogether from its high estate. The town has two gates, that of Herat in the centre of the north face and that of Kandahar exactly opposite on the south side, the citadel occupying the north angle of the wall. Farah is no longer a city. Desolate, ruined and abandoned, its position still is of extreme importance, as it commands the Herat and Kandahar road and the northern entrance into Seistan. But the water in the fort is bad and the place is unhealthy. A general bonfire of the remains should complete the wreck which time has so nearly accomplished. Nowadays it does not contain more than fifty houses, yet it could easily hold several thousand. Those still standing are concealed by the ruins; and scattered jets of smoke, rising from heaps of _débris_, are the only indications of actual life. Formerly a bazaar crossed the town from the Kandahar Gate to the Herat Gate; but the few shops which remain are now congregated near the Herat Gate, the sole industry of the people being the manufacture of gunpowder from saltpetre. This is collected from the numerous water-pits which go to make up the general character of the scene within the walls.
Between Farah and Kandahar there is the Bakwa plain, which is associated in the minds of the Afghans with a tradition that identifies it with the scene of some future battle between the Russian and British forces. The plain is a dead level stretch without trees or growth of any kind to vary its monotony and it is to its western end that the scene of the prophecy refers. The usual version of the story mentions as a concluding detail that, after the fight, no less than 12,000 riderless horses will be found wandering over it.[15] The Afghans attach considerable belief to this prophecy which, according to Colonel Yate who went to the pains of unearthing its origin, may be attributed to a native of Kuchan, Shah Ni’-Amat Ulla Wani of Kirman, who died in the year 1400 at the age of ninety-seven, having attained considerable reputation as an author, philosopher and sage.
From Farah to Girishk, situated on the Helmund river, is a distance of 150 miles. This river, which rises at Fazindaz in the western slopes of the Paghman mountains, flows with a course generally south-west for over 600 miles, ultimately falling into the Seistan lake. The first point about which any reliable information exists is at Gardan Diwar, about 40 miles from its source. It here runs along the north side of the Urt plateau at an elevation of 11,500 feet, about 12 yards wide, less than a foot in depth in winter and with a brisk current; it is joined by a tributary the Ab-i-Siah, coming from the southern slopes of the Haji Khak pass. In the summer this upper portion of the Helmund is a favourite resort of the pastoral tribes of the Eastern area. Thence it passes through a deep valley, hugging the south side of the Koh-i-Baba for 35 miles to Ghaoch Khol, its banks fringed with rose bushes and osiers. At this point it is crossed by a bridge, unites with a rivulet from the north and with the Ab-Dilawar from the south-west. From this to Diwal Khol, about 25 miles further, it pursues the same westerly direction which it has had from its source. A few miles beyond this point the stream gives a bold sweep to the south for 80 miles, as far as Chakmakchak. Here it is crossed by the road going west towards Herat and receives a considerable feeder from the north. The river then turns slightly to the south-west and keeps this direction for about 120 miles as far as Sakhir, where roads from Bamian, Maidan and Girishk meet. From Sakhir to Girishk, a distance of perhaps 150 miles, its course is more south and 25 miles below Sakhir it is joined from the east by the Tezin stream. At Garmab, 50 miles below this again, it is met by the Khudrud, where it is crossed 60 miles above Girishk. At this point the banks of the Helmund are 1000 yards apart; the right bank low and sandy and the left bank high and rocky. Sometimes when the volume of the river has diminished the breadth of the Helmund at Girishk itself is reduced to 300 yards; the stream flowing smoothly with a mean depth at the ford of 3 feet. In mid-June, again, it is barely passable by infantry; but 3 miles up stream, where the river divides into three branches and the southern Herat-Kandahar road crosses, there is a ferry, in addition to several good fords. Here the depth is less than 4 feet and the breadth across each arm varies between 70 and 150 yards. About 45 miles below Girishk and just below Kala-i-Bist, is an island formed by the river. It is joined on the left by its great tributary the Argand-ab, from which point its width varies between 300 and 400 yards, with an average depth of 1½ to 2 fathoms. Thence to Benadar Kalan, a distance of 70 miles, its direction is south and from this it turns west for 120 miles. At Pul-alak, 100 miles distant, it is usually 400 yards wide, very deep and flowing in a broad stretch of water as far as Traku. Here, its progress arrested by some sand hills, it takes a sudden turn to the north-west and runs for 45 miles in that direction; finally it divides into the three branches, Rod-i-Seistan, Rod-i-Purian, and the Nad Ali. Since 1895 the Rod-i-Purian has been the main channel, displacing the Nad Ali course. The river, even in the dry season, is never without a plentiful supply of water.
[Illustration: CROSSING THE HELMUND RIVER]
Its volume is:
2,000 cubic feet per second at low water. 50,000-60,000 ” ” ” ordinary flood. 600,000-700,000 ” ” ” abnormal flood.
The fords are:
Gardan Diwar (ford) 40 miles from source. Ghaoch Khol (bridge) 75 ” Diwal Khol 100 ” Chakmakchak 180 ” Garmab 390 ” Three miles above Girishk (ford) 450 ” Girishk (ford and ferry) 450 ” Shamalan (ford) 500 ” Karnashin 550 ” Kal-i-Sabz (ford) 570 ” Deshu (ford) 590 ” Pul-alak (ford) 650 ” Traku (ferry) 680 ” Deshtak (ferry) 740 ”
The fort of Girishk stands on the right bank of the Helmund about 1½ miles from the stream, upon the high road between Kandahar and Herat. Its position seems to have been determined by the neighbourhood of the fords across the Helmund; also by the vicinity of the ferry, which, when the river is not fordable, is usually established at a narrow part of the stream below the fort. From the far side of the river Girishk appears to have more strength and to be in better order than inspection proves to be the case. Upon two sides and part of the third there is a ditch, which contains water but is formidable neither in width nor in depth. On the north and north-eastern aspects, where the wall is situated upon the high bank of the river, it is not continued.
Girishk, as also Farah, comes within the jurisdiction of the officials of Kandahar province and a small garrison is detailed from Kandahar itself. Two squadrons of cavalry and one battery of field guns usually comprise the regular establishment, to which is added a certain militia strength. The soldiers camp outside the walls; the fort itself, which is only 700 feet in length and 250 feet in breadth, being the residence of the Governor of Pusht-i-Rud, the name by which the district goes. In no sense can the building be regarded as possessing any military value. The walls are weak and exposed from their parapet to their foundations. Moreover, there is cover close up to them on all sides except the northern where a ravine, which would afford an enemy protection, is enfiladed from the north-west tower. The setting of the fort is quite picturesque. In the low-river lands on the south side there are charming gardens, but their walls and trees are too likely to afford cover to troops to be other than a danger. In the fort itself are two gateways; one of which, a small one, has been blocked up. The main one is at the southern extremity. There are four corner towers and the water-supply is reliable and drawn from the river. But, equally with Farah and Sabzawar, the fortifications of Girishk need not be the subject of any detailed consideration here. Standing on the main route from Herat to Kandahar, controlling the fords across the Helmund and commanding the road to Seistan from which it is only 190 miles distant, the richness of the surrounding region makes its early possession essential to any force operating from the Indo-Afghan border. Villages are numerous and every one is a thriving centre. The pasturage is both fattening and abundant, while the agricultural capacity of the Zamindawar lands is well known. During the last operations in Afghanistan 4,000,000 lbs. weight of grain were collected from the Girishk district by the British force that was then in occupation, a return which makes it the most important of any of the bases which might be established on the Perso-Afghan border.
Girishk is 75 miles from Kandahar; mid-way between there is Maiwand, mournfully signalised by one of those inglorious reverses which British arms have experienced in Afghanistan--in this instance the defeat of General Burrows at the hands of Ayub Khan in 1880. Their incidence, unfortunately, has given rise to very exaggerated ideas upon the practical utility of the Afghan rabble and its powers of resistance at the present day. Kandahar, the scene of one brilliant episode when the victorious Roberts relieved an ominous situation, has been the centre of many ill-fated risings and mis-shapen schemes, yet of all none more so than that injudicious and most pretentious plan of uniting Quetta with Kushkinski Post by a trans-Afghan railway _viâ_ Kandahar and Herat. No practical end can be served by such a line and, indeed upon the broadest grounds, there is absolutely nothing which can justify its construction. The policy of this country should be mistrustful of Russia always and our attitude should be actively suspicious. In Asia, High or Near, she is our inveterate opponent and the one element of danger which never can be removed from our path. We can neither believe in nor rely upon her bond, while her diplomatic morality no less than her most solemnly pledged word is instinctive with treachery. Whatever may be desirable for purposes of State at this moment, at least we should be mindful of our experiences at her hands and we should allow those lessons of past history to serve to-day as an active spur to our hostility. That she would stoop to any pretext, however infamous, to secure her ends is proven by the unctuous assurances which she tendered the Cabinet of the day in this country in respect of her campaigns in Central Asia. If this reminder be insufficient, let us reflect upon the manner in which she has excused to us, through long years, her nefarious designs against our interests in Persia and Manchuria. Therefore, remembering these things, it is necessary to repeat the warning to keep Russia at a distance.
[Illustration: CONSTRUCTING THE QUETTA-NUSHKI LINE]
If Kandahar were to be concerned with any railway at all it should be through an extension from New Chaman. Without such provision our defensive strategy in Southern Afghanistan must needs recoil upon itself. Indeed, no practical value whatever attaches to our power of offence on the Afghan-Baluch border unless it contains the means of counteracting Russia’s schemes of aggression on the Afghan-Perso border. At present our position in Southern Afghanistan is _en l’air_; but our interests demand that it should be brought to earth and linked up with the steel rails of the military system of strategic lines on the Indian frontier. Just now the position of Russia in Persia is in the making, yet the challenge to our situation in Southern Afghanistan is none the less apparent. It will become quite definite when she occupies Seistan. Russia has the advantage of us in the Middle East in the matter of railway construction and she will build first where she is in no manner liable to be disturbed. If, in the interval, we do not measure our activity by her own, we shall find that we have delayed the extension of the rails to Kandahar until she herself is prepared to abide by the result of a single issue--the projection of the metals to Herat.
It would seem that the present moment were sufficiently propitious for the Government of India to press such an undertaking upon the Amir. At the time of the Dane Mission great attention was paid by the Afghans of Kandahar to the subject of railways between India and Afghanistan. The late Governor, Sirdar Ahmed Khan, now retired in disgrace, receiving orders to ascertain public feeling on a proposal to extend the Indian railway system to Kandahar and to inquire whether the people would object if the request of the British Government were conceded, read out the Amir’s instructions at a special Durbar where all shades of local opinion were represented. The question was debated by the nobles and the people at great length. In the end the view was returned that, while the railway itself would be beneficial, it would facilitate pretexts for dangerous aggressions and the conquest of the country. At a later occasion the Amir sought the opinions of the principal officers of the army who, not only unanimously in favour of the introduction of such a system of communication, warmly advocated its further projection to Herat. The provision of a railway between India and Kandahar, quite a different affair to a trans-Afghan system, would indubitably facilitate commerce, since the scheme would have to go hand in hand with a radical revision of the prohibitory tariffs now imposed along the Afghan border. The moral effect throughout the Kandahar region, too, would be no less significant than that originally caused upon the frontier by the railway to New Chaman, for without that extension from Quetta the proceeds of the Kandahar fruit-gardens would never reach the Indian markets.
Kandahar, which is 125 miles from Quetta and only 65 miles from the railhead at New Chaman, is the last place where an army advancing from Herat towards the Indus would halt. It also affords access to the Ghazni and Kabul roads through the Tarnak valley, and its proximity to the deserts of Baluchistan on the south renders at least one of its flanks safe from being turned. It is very accessible from Persia in the west and from India in the east, while it has changed hands so frequently during the period of its history--Persians, Uzbegs, Afghans and in recent times the English--that a further change is certainly to be anticipated. Kandahar is situated between the Argand and Tarnak rivers on a level plain covered with cultivation and well populated to the south and west; on the north-west a low ridge rises to the height of 1000 feet. The shape of the city is an irregular parallelogram, the length being from north to south with a circuit of 3 miles, 1006 yards. It is surrounded by a ditch, 24 feet wide and 10 feet deep, and by a wall which is 20½ feet thick at the bottom, 14½ feet thick at the top and 27 feet in height. This wall is made of mud hardened by exposure to the sun and without revetment of stone or brick. The length of the western face is 1967 yards, of the eastern 1810 yards, of the southern 1345 yards and of the northern 1164 yards. There are four main gates, through which run the principal streets and two minor gates. The Bar Durani and Kabul are on the eastern face, the Shikarpur on the southern face, the Herat and the Top Khana on the western face and the Idgah on the northern face. The Bar Durani and the Top Khana are the minor gates.
The gateways are defended by six double bastions and the angles are protected by four large circular towers. The curtains between the bastions have fifty-four small bastions distributed along the faces. From the Herat gate a street runs to the Kabul gate through the city; commencing from the Shikarpur gate and crossing it at right angles near the centre, another leads to the citadel, which is square-built with walls 260 yards in length.
[Illustration: PLAN OF KANDAHAR]
The citadel is situated to the north of the city and south of it is the Top Khana. West of this is the tomb of Ahmed Shah Durani, an octagonal structure, overlaid with coloured porcelain bricks and surmounted by a gilded dome, surrounded by small minarets. It towers above all the adjacent buildings and its dome attracts attention to the city from a distance. The pavement of the tomb is carpeted and an embroidered cloak is thrown over the sarcophagus. The sepulchre itself, composed of a coarse stone from the mountains near Kandahar, is inlaid with wreaths of flowers in coloured marble. Twelve lesser tombs, which are those of the children of Ahmed Shah, are ranged near the resting-place of the father. The interior walls are painted in designs similar to those which adorn the exterior, but the execution is more regular and the colours, having been less exposed, are fresher and more brilliant. The lofty dome above the centre imparts an air of grandeur to the little temple, while its windows of stone trellis work admit a subdued and pleasant light. The tomb is engraved with passages from the Koran and a copy of the sacred volume, from which the Mullahs recite passages, is kept in the sanctuary.
At the point where the streets from the Herat gate and the Shikarpur gate meet, is the Charsu, a large dome 50 yards in diameter. Here, as in other parts of the city, are public “humams” or warm baths, where a course of Asiatic massage, including bathing, peeling, kneading and drying, costs one rupee. The Afghan mode of treatment differs but little from that prevailing in India. The houses generally are built of sun-dried bricks, with flat roofs. A few only possess upper storeys. The houses of the rich are enclosed by high walls and contain three or four courts with gardens and fountains. Each of these divisions holds a single building, separated into small compartments and provided with three or four large and lofty halls. The roofs are supported upon wooden pillars, carved and painted. The various suites open upon the several halls, which are embellished with mural paintings and numerous looking-glasses. The walls of the rooms are usually furnished with panels of glittering stucco, a compound of mica and talc, decorated with patterns of flowers. Their surfaces are broken by many recesses, sometimes the refuge of very tawdry ornaments. The ceilings are formed of small pieces of wood, carved, fitted into each other and varnished. The houses of the poorer classes are represented by single rooms 20 feet by 12 feet.
The four principal streets are each 40 yards wide, bordered with trees, flanked by shops and houses with open fronts and shady verandahs. Each street is named after the gate to which it leads from the Charsu, except in the case of the one which runs into the Top Khana. This street, which is very narrow both at its north and south entrances and has the Nikara Khana on its west, is called the Shahi Bazar. Smaller and narrower streets, each crossing the other at right angles, run from the principal thoroughfares towards the city walls, between which and the houses there is a road about 25 yards wide encircling the city. A second road, similar in design, exists on the outside of the wall along the western and southern faces as a relic of the British occupation. It has been planted with trees by the Afghan authorities, a similar adornment having been applied to the main Kokeran road.
Kandahar is divided into districts which are in the occupation of the different tribes. The south-western quarter of the city has four great divisions--the Barakzai Duranis, extending down the Shikarpur and Herat Bazars, having south of them the Hindustani quarter and west that of the Halakozai Duranis, while in the extreme south-west corner of the city, between the two last, there are the Nurzai Duranis. The south-eastern quarter appears to be occupied principally by Populzai Duranis. In the north-eastern quarter, the portion stretching on the north of the Kabul Bazar, is occupied by the Ghilzais; north of them and to the north-east angle of the city is the Bar Durani quarter; while between them and the citadel is the Achakzai Durani quarter. In the south-western portion of the north-western quarter are the houses of the Alizais. These divisions, relating to the principal tribes who frequent the city, concern the Duranis, Ghilzais, Parsiwans, and Kakuris. Greater detail of the population is represented by the following table of houses occupied in the several sections:
Barakzai 940 Nurzai 600 Alikozai 650 Populzai 600 Makuzai 100 Bar Durani 150 Saddozai 100 Kalezai 350 Kharoti 200 Ghilzai 100 Bamezai 400 Sarkani 200 Ismailzai 100 Pathans 200 Turks 50 Baburs and Babis 200 Achakzai 150 Ishakzai 600 Kakuri 550 Alizai 200 Khagwani 150 Bisakzai 100 Madozai 150 Parsiwan 1240 Pirian 100 Doalat Shahi 50 Arabs 50 Aakyakhel 50 Kashmiri 100 Hindus 300 ---- Total 8730
In addition to these a large number of households is unreturned, the official approximate estimate showing no less than 20,000 houses, with a combined population of 50,000 souls. The numerical strength of the larger Afghan cities has always fluctuated, the element of movement, as the population increases and diminishes, depending upon whether the local government were protective or oppressive. When Kandahar was visited by Elphinstone, he calculated its population at 100,000. Hough reported it at 80,000; Masson from 25,000 to 30,000, Ferrier 30,000, Court 25,000 and Bellew 15,500. Holdich, writing in 1880, put the strength of the Duranis, Ghilzais, Parsiwans and Kakuris alone at 30,000. In recent years Kandahar has prospered. As there has been but little to disturb the development of its trade and the general settlement of the immediate vicinity, it is possible that it may have reached the present high figure.
[Illustration: THE WALLS OF KANDAHAR]
As in most Asiatic cities the different trades occupy special parts of the Kandahar bazaars. In all there are 3700 shops in addition to the stalls of the wayside pedlars. These, their goods spread upon the ground or displayed upon small tables, not infrequently act as agents of the more important merchants.
In the city there are:
Barbers 85 Silk merchants 201 Potters 135 Milk vendors 170 Butchers 231 General merchants 300
There are, too, certain street musicians and strolling players. The premises of the cloth merchants extend down the east side of the Shikarpur Bazar; and facing them are the saddlers and the smiths. From the Charsu towards the Kabul gate, to the north of the Kabul Bazar, are the Hindu bankers. In the opposite direction, on the north of the Herat Bazar, are the coppersmiths; and confronting them are the tailors and the shoemakers. At the north end of the Shahi Bazar is the grass market, and next to it, on the north-east, the cattle market. The Shikarpur Bazar is the popular and central meeting-place; but each of the four principal streets of Kandahar is thronged between sunrise and sunset. Almost without cessation is the movement of the mass of people: some riding, many walking, others proceeding to and from the markets leading camels, driving ponies or themselves carrying loads. Women are rarely seen; but from beyond the Indian border or from out of the heart of Afghanistan there are traders, travellers and fakirs. Arrayed in various colours, though all assume the Afghan dress, they are only distinguished from each other by the forms of their head-dress. Their beards are black and bushy; but where age has made its appearance the white hairs are dyed red with the juice of the henna. A few are shaven and habited in jackets and trousers of blue linen or tunics of drab cloth with pendant sleeves, their heads being protected by cotton skull-caps. This latter type belongs usually to some trans-border region. Others wear cloaks made up in chintz or in the woollen cloth of the country, with turbans of very ample fold. The constant bustle of the streets produces considerable confusion around the stalls, while the shouts of the caravan leaders and the sickly whining of the street beggars add to the uproar. Mendicity is to be seen in its most loathsome and repulsive forms. The blind, the maimed and deformed, ragged and unspeakably squalid men, women and children not only stand and sit, but lie grovelling in the dust or mire under the feet of the crowd.
The Hindus are the most numerous as well as the wealthiest merchants in the city. They carry on a very profitable trade with Bombay, _viâ_ Shikarpur and Karachi. They import silks, calicoes, muslins, chintzes, merinoes, woollen and broad cloths, leather, iron, copper, knives, scissors, needles, thread and paper from England; indigo, spices, sugar, medicines, salt from India; shawls, postins, shoes, opium, silks and carpets from Meshed. Kandahar exports to India and the Persian Gulf madder, assafœtida, goat’s-hair, camel’s-wool, preserved fruits, quince seeds, pomegranate rinds, tobacco, felts, raw silk, rosaries; horses, baggage ponies, Biran carpets, copper utensils and silk are contributed by Persia. The trade between Kandahar, Herat and Meshed is conducted principally by Persians, who bring down silk, raw and manufactured, copper utensils, guns, daggers, swords, precious stones (turquoise), brocade, gold and silver braiding, horses and carpets; they take back wool, felts, postins and skins.
[Illustration: ALWAYS A POPULAR AND CENTRAL MEETING PLACE]
Kandahar city is by far the most important trade centre in Afghanistan, the customs and town dues together equalling the land revenues of the province. These several sources of income, of course, go some way towards meeting the expenses of the Central Government. There are few manufactures or industries of importance that are peculiar to the city; the principal trade of a local description is the production of silk, felt and rosaries of soft crystallised silicate of magnesia, which is found near the city. The description of these trades will be found in a further chapter.
The following table shows the prices obtained in the Kandahar market for the under-mentioned imported articles:
IMPORTS FROM INDIA.
BOMBAY.
_Names of Articles._ _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Long cloths per piece 7 8 6 8 ” (unbleached) ” 4 8 3 0 Madapollams (white) ” 9 0 6 0 Alwan (shawl) stuff (red) ” 10 0 8 0 ” ” (orange) ” 9 0 5 0 ” ” (green) ” 9 0 5 0 ” ” (white) ” 8 0 5 8 Jaconet (grey) ” 3 0 1 8 ” (white) ” 3 8 2 8 Dimity (white) ” 4 0 3 0 ” (rose) ” 9 0 7 12 Flowered muslins (all colours) ” 3 8 1 8 Coloured muslins ” 3 8 1 9 Net per yard 1 0 0 7 Drill (white) per piece 10 0 0 7 Flowered muslins (golden) ” 6 0 3 0 Velvet (black) per yard 0 12 8 0 ” (red) ” 1 12 1 0 Majut, imported ” 7 8 5 0 Broadcloth ” 7 8 5 0 Chintz (scarlet) per piece 12 0 8 8 ” (black) ” 8 0 6 2 ” (scarlet and rose coloured) ” 5 0 3 0 ” (white) ” 8 0 5 0 ” (black and other colours) ” 5 8 5 0 ” (shakar kouz, a colour) ” 9 0 6 0 Khasa (scarlet) ” 5 0 3 8 ” (white) ” 3 0 2 0 Shawls each 6 0 4 8 Merino per yard 2 0 0 12 Molasses per seer 0 8 -- Sugar per 3½ seers 3 0 2 8 Black pepper ” 2 0 -- Sal ammoniac ” 2 0 -- Cloves ” 2 8 -- Green and black teas ” 20 0 12 0 Turmeric per 3½ seers 2 0 -- Dry ginger ” 2 0 -- Preserved ginger per jar 4 8 -- Orpiment (yellow) per 3½ seers 2 0 -- ” (black) ” 2 0 -- Cinnamon ” 4 0 -- Cardamoms (small) ” 3 0 -- ” (large) ” 3 8 -- Thread per bundle 6 0 -- Cocoa-nuts per 3½ seers 3 0 -- Satin per yard 2 8 -- Flannel ” 1 0 -- Russian satin ” 1 8 -- Cambric per piece 5 0 3 0
Penknives, two-bladed, Rs. 1-8; one blade, Rs. 1; large sailors’ knives, 4 annas. Quantities of pottery-ware of all descriptions are imported, as also needles, thread and a few Anglo-Indian medicines. Foreign drugs kill many more than they cure; since they are administered by a _hakim_ who knows nothing of their properties, but tries the effect of the first which may be at hand, regulating the quantity given by the price.
AMRITSAR. _Names of Articles._ _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Molasses per Kandahari maund 2 4 -- Turmeric ” ” ” 1 8 -- Saffron ” ” ” 16 0 --
Punjabi shoes, penholders, lungis, cloth; Kashmiri shawls, puttu, zinc, saffron and Peshawar lungis.
MULTAN. _Names of Articles._ _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Rough cloth per 100 yards 9 0 -- Coloured sheets for women ” 20 ” 17 0 -- Chintz, Nasrkhani per 20 pieces or 160 ” 20 0 -- ” Lulgurie ” ” ” ” 8 0 -- Alacha per 4 ” 1 0 -- Buffalo-hides (cured) per 20 ” 60 0 -- Goats 17 0 -- Shoes according to quality
IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA.
_Names of Articles._ BOKHARA. _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Russian gold lace per tola 2 0 -- Bokhara silk per Kandahari maund 35 0 -- Labani silk ” ” ” 25 0 -- Konkani silk ” ” ” 25 0 -- Gardauzi silk ” ” ” 33 0 -- Bokhara Tomujabin. ” ” ” 2 8 -- Gold lace (imitation) per yard 4 0 -- Gulbadan (a silk cloth) ” 1 0 -- Kanawez (a silk cloth) ” 3 0 2 0 Postins (fox skin) each 20 0 -- ” (rat skin) ” 25 0 -- Sinjaf postins ” 40 0 -- Sinabands and postins samuri ” 600 0 100 0 Chogas (Alghani) ” 50 0 -- Russian boxes of all sorts and prices.
IMPORTS FROM PERSIA.
MESHED AND KHORASSAN.
_Names of Articles._ _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Nishapur firozes (Turquoises), at all prices Opium (Gunabad) per Kandahari maund 35 0 -- ” (Yezd) ” ” ” 45 0 -- Kanawez per yard 1 8 -- Silk lungis each 9 0 -- ” ” (Yezd) 5 0 -- Rasais (Yezd) 3 0 -- Silk handkerchiefs (black) 4 0 -- Bulghar skins 15 0 -- Bala-zins. 20 0 10 0 Black boots per pair 8 0 7 0 Abrak (Rahdar) each 280 0 -- ” (Meshedi) ” 50 0 15 0 ” (Kirmani) ” 9 0 -- Puttu 12 0 --
Double-barrelled guns, pistols and swords, chogas, white and grey drills, and chintzes of all sorts.
LOCAL IMPORTS.
_Names of Articles._ KABUL. _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Postins each 25 0 3 0 Sinabands ” 10 0 6 0 Puttu ” 30 0 15 0 Rice per Kandahari maund 1 0 12 0 Walnuts ” ” ” 0 8 -- Kabul molasses ” ” ” 1 0 --
ANARDARA.
From this district are brought the famous pomegranates, which are, perhaps, the finest in the world, as also assafœtida. This trade is chiefly in the hands of Tajiks and Kakuris.
The following are the market prices of articles exported from Kandahar:
EXPORTS. _Names of Articles._ _Prices._ From. To. R. A. R. A. Meshed and Herat silk per Kandahari maund 40 0 -- ” ” ” ” ” 35 0 -- ” ” ” ” ” 30 0 -- Anab (jujube fruit) ” ” ” 1 0 -- Zerisk (a berry from Herat) ” ” ” 1 8 -- Saffron from Birjan ” ” ” 90 0 16 0 And dried fruits of all sorts in large quantities.
Certain articles[16] have been withdrawn from exportation by order of the Governor of Kandahar, but before this occurred the following taxes were levied: on wheat, barley, atta and rice eight annas per donkey-load or one rupee per camel-load; ghee, five rupees per maund; oil was mulcted in a sixth part. The kidney-fat of every sheep or goat slaughtered is a Government perquisite and is sent to the Amir’s soap manufactory, where it is made after the most economical principles into a coarse description of soap. Each shop pays a tax of one and a half Kandahari rupees per mensem. Saids, mullahs and a few others are exempted.
The returns from taxes assessed on the various crafts give:
Rs. per Annum. Dyers 1500 Silk-weavers 3500 Tanners 4000 Gram-dealers 1250 Cap and postin-makers 600 Capitation tax 3000 Butchers 700 Cattle markets 2500 Gaming houses 2500
while bakers have to present annually to the Governor thirty Kandahari maunds of bread.
STATEMENT OF THE SCALE OF TAXATION CHARGED UPON EXPORTS TO BRITISH TERRITORY FROM KANDAHAR PROVINCE.
------------------------------------------------------------------- TAXES. Serial Commodity. Per ---------- No. _Kachari_ or Octro Duty. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rs. a. p. 1 Fresh fruit Load of ass 1 0 0 2 Pomegranates ” 1 8 0 3 ” Camel load 5 0 0 4 Dry fruit Donkey load 2 8 0 5 Wool Camel load[17] 40 0 0 6 Big _postins_ Per coat 1 8 0
7 _Postins_ of good quality ” 8 5 4 8 ” _mustalah be astin_ ” 1 8 0 9 ” quilt 1 6 4 0 10 ” 20 _gula_ 1 1 4 0 11 ” 6 ” 1 0 10 8 12 _Puttu Kabli_, No. 1 1 12 8 0 13 ” No. 2 1 10 0 0 14 ” No. 3 1 8 5 4 15 ” No. 4 1 6 10 8 16 _Qanawez_ (a kind of silk cloth) Yard 0 4 0 17 Silk 4 sers 0 12 0 18 _Namad_ (a coarse woollen cloth) 1 0 3 4 19 Rupees Cwt. 4 0 0 20 Men Per head —
[TN: Table continues]
----------------------------------------------------------------- TAXES. Serial ------------------------------------------------------- No. _Dalali_ _Goshi_ or _Nizam-ud-_ _Kafila_ or Karim’s _Aishan’s_ _Din’s_ _Bashi._ Brokerage. Dues. Dues. Dues. --------------------------------------------------------------- Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. 1 0 13 4 0 4 0 0 6 8 1 10 8 — 2 0 13 4 0 4 0 0 6 8 3 8 8 — 3 1 10 8 0 8 0 1 0 0 14 9 4 — 4 0 13 4 0 4 0 0 4 0 7 3 4 0 13 4 5 3 5 4 10 8 0 1 10 8 19 4 0 — 6 0 13 4 1 0 0 0 6 8 per ass per donkey load. per cent. load. 7 ” ” ” — — 8 ” ” ” — — 9 ” ” ” — — 10 ” ” ” — — 11 ” ” ” — — 12 ” ” ” — — 13 ” ” ” — — 14 ” ” ” — — 15 ” ” ” — — 16 ” ” ” — — 17 ” ” ” — — 18 ” ” ” — — 19 ” ” ” — — 20 — — — — —
[TN: Table continues]
---------------------------------------------------------------- TAXES. Serial ---------------------------------------------- No. _Takhta-_ _Sardari_ TOTAL. _pul_ _Kila_ One-tenth. In lump Dues. _Buldak._ Sum. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p. 1 0 2 0 0 1 4 0 6 8 4 12 8 2 0 2 0 0 1 4 0 8 0 7 4 0 3 0 4 0 0 4 0 2 4 0 25 8 0 4 1 4 0 0 1 4 1 4 0 14 7 4 5 0 12 0 0 2 8 8 0 0 83 10 8 6 ⅒ of — — all taxes. — — 7 — — ” — — 8 — — ” — — 9 — — ” — — 10 — — ” — — 11 — — ” — — 12 — — ” — — 13 — — ” — — 14 — — ” — — 15 — — ” — — 16 — — ” — — 17 — — ” — — 18 — — ” — — 19 — — ” — — 20 — — — {([18]) 2 8 0 2 8 0 {([19]) 4 2 8 4 2 8 ----------------------------------------------------------------
STATEMENT OF ARTICLES PROHIBITED FROM EXPORTATION TO BRITISH TERRITORY BY THE GOVERNOR OF KANDAHAR.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Tax Articles. imposed REMARKS. before the prohibition. ------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Wheat-- Rs. a. p. (_a_) Per camel load 1 0 0 (_b_) ” ass load 0 8 0 2 Almonds, per maund None but the Amir’s Agent, since a long time, is allowed to export almonds. 3 Ghee, per maund 5 0 0 4 Goats and sheep, per head 0 8 0 5 Asses _Nil._ 6 Horses or ponies-- Besides this amount, For every Rs. 8-5-3 of 1 0 0 nearly Rs. 5 more the estimated value. per horse are taken, and on every hundred horses a further sum of Rs. 2 is levied. 7 Cows per head 5 0 0 8 Pistacia nuts, donkey load 20 7 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF DUTIES LEVIED UPON IMPORTS INTO KANDAHAR PROVINCE.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Articles. Imported Duty. REMARKS. from ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rs. a. p. 1 Horses Kabul and 12 8 0 Herat per horse. 2 Ponies Do. 6 4 0 per pony. 3 Miscellaneous Do. * 11 0 0 * In addition to for every 100 this sum, 1 per Rupees of the cent. on account of estimated brokerage and Rs. 2 value. per camel load and Re. 1 per ass load are recovered on account of _rahdari_, etc. 4 Cloth India 14 0 0 for every 100 Rupees’ worth of cloth. 5 Tea Do. ¼th of its value. 6 Sugar Do. ⅓rd Do. 7 Iron Do. ⅒th Do. 8 Indigo Do. 20 0 0 per English maund. 9 Oils Do. ⅙th of their value. --------------------------------------------------------------------
The Saids of Peshin, Kakuris, Bakhtiaris and the Baluchis are the tribes principally engaged in horse dealing. This trade flourishes for six months in the year; but it is stagnant during the hot weather and in the winter, when the roads are closed by snow. About 2000 or 3000 horses are said to pass through the city annually. The chief breeding districts drawn on by these traders are Sarakhs, Maimana, Nur and Kala Nau in the Hazara country; Daria Gaz and Kelati-i-Nadiri in Persia; Gulza and Firozkoh in Herat province. Of these the horses from Sarakhs, Nur and Gulza are most prized, realising locally between 60 and 120 rupees. An export duty between fifteen to thirty rupees was originally levied against each animal. To escape this tax traders frequently took the desert routes, but the trade is now prohibited. The cows of Kandahar and Seistan are in general request; they are said to give twenty seers of milk each per diem, being milked three times in twenty-four hours. They fetch about forty rupees each. Camels are anything but plentiful in the Kandahar district; and the supply is scarcely adequate to meet the demands of the trading population. Many are imported from Baluchistan, the prices varying from twenty to one hundred rupees.
[Illustration: TYPICAL STREET SCENES]
The Saids of Peshin and others formerly conducted a more or less profitable traffic in slaves in Western Afghanistan, some four or five hundred being sold annually in Kandahar. A few of these unfortunates were purchased in Seistan, but most of them were kidnapped from elsewhere. Slavery in Afghanistan, however, was abolished by Abdur Rahman in 1895, the Russian and Indian Governments mutually co-operating in its prevention. Very few slaves were Persian born, the several regions of Afghanistan supplying their own superfluous human beings. Hazara furnished a large quota, frequently in lieu of arrears of revenue or when there was difficulty in realising Government assignments against the different villages. The value of slaves fluctuated according to the price of food; during seasons of abundance high prices were obtained, but in any period of scarcity slaves were a drug in the market.
The climate of Kandahar is charming in the winter, but the spring is considered the most pleasant time. Barren parched hills lie close to the city on the north and west; the heat radiating from them is such that the winds are hot and parching. The temperature of the thermometer varies greatly between morning and the middle of the day--sometimes as much as 40 or 50 degrees.
In winter, composed of the months of December, January and February, the weather is cloudy, with storms, snow, sleet and rain. The wind varies between all the points of the compass, seldom for long blowing from one direction. Frosts are severe.
WINTER TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
_Maximum._
6 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 52 Sun 115, shade 59 Open air 61.30
_Medium._
6 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 36.8 Sun 78.45, shade 49.15 Open air 44.44
_Minimum._
6 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 15 Sun 36.30, shade 42 Open air 31.00
In spring, made up of the months of March, April and May, the weather is fair but cloudy. Occasional rain falls; and there are thunder-storms during the first half of the season, in which also the nights are cold and very frosty. In the latter half of this quarter the weather becomes warmer, dews fall at night and dust-storms occur infrequently. The wind is westerly and south-westerly, but high easterly winds prevail in March.
SPRING TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
_Maximum._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 78 Sun 139, shade 85 Open air 85
_Medium._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 56.23 Sun 114.50, shade 70.8 Open air 69.35
_Minimum._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 31 Sun 78, shade 53 Open air 44.45
During the months of June, July, August and part of September, the hot season obtains, commencing about June 20 and continuing until September 20. It comprises two periods of forty days each, separated by an intervening fortnight of cloudy and cooler weather, during which thunder-storms occur in the mountains, though rain rarely falls on the plain. The most prevalent wind during the summer blows from the west during the day, but during the night and until the sun has been “up” a couple of hours it emanates from the opposite direction. Dust-storms are frequent and severe.
SUMMER TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
_Maximum._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 86 Sun 150, shade 96 Open air 94
_Medium._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 74 Sun 136.20, shade 87.10 Open air 86.15
_Minimum._
4 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 63 Sun 105, shade 82 Open air 77
The wind, during the autumn in the evening and in the early morning, blows in warm unrefreshing gusts, heated by passing over the many bare rocky ranges which serve simply to reflect the sun. During these months, part of September, October and November, the sun is still powerful. Occasional dust-storms occur, and there is cloudy weather towards the close of the season. The dews are heavy; little rain falls and high north-easterly and north-westerly winds prevail at the close of the season.
AUTUMN TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
_Maximum._
5 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 65 Sun 148, shade 82 Open air 85
_Medium._
5 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 50.57 Sun 123.50, shade 70.44 Open air 69.15
_Minimum._
5 A.M. 1 P.M. 8 P.M. Open air 32 Sun 70, shade 58 Open air 51
Of diseases that may be attributed to the Kandahar climate, the most prominent are intermittent and remittent fevers, whilst continued fevers and small-pox, although met with only in a sporadic form, are epidemic in certain seasons. The first-named maladies are prevalent throughout the year; although more active in the spring and autumn when they are remarkable for the frequency of the tertian form.
Ophthalmic complaints are numerous, although not altogether attributable to the climate. Rheumatism, neuralgic affections, scrofula, syphilis and certain cerebral disturbances are common.
[Illustration: CARRYING COTTON TO MARKET.]
[15] “Northern Afghanistan.” Major C. E. Yate.
[16] See pages 205, 206.
[17] 1 camel load = 8 maunds and 16 sers.
[18] Persons visiting British territory for trade purposes, etc., are required to pay Rs. 2-8 as passport tax per head, provided they furnish personal security to return within 6 months.
[19] Persons visiting British territory for trade purposes, etc., are required to pay Rs. 4-2-8 as passport tax per head, provided they furnish personal security to return within 1 year.
##