Discover Afghanistan
Travel to Afghanistan to explore some of the magnificent monuments and tourist destination that will make your holidays worthwhile.Afghanistan is a mountainous land-locked country located in central asia. It has a history and culture that goes back over 5000 years. Throughout its long, splendid, and sometimes chaotic history, this area of the world has been known by various names. In ancient times, its inhabitants called the land aryana. In the medieval era, it was called khorasan, and in modern times, its people have decided to call it afghanistan. The exact population of afghanistan is unknown, however, it is estimated to be somewhere around 21-26 million.

Afghanistan is a heterogeneous nation, in which there are four major ethnic groups: pashtoons, tajiks, hazaras, and uzbeks. Numerous other minor ethnic groups (nuristanis, baluchis, turkmens, etc.) Also call afghanistan their home. While the majority of afghans (99%) belong to the islamic faith, there are also small pockets of sikhs, hindus and even some jews. The official languages of the country are pashto and dari (afghan persian). The capital of afghanistan is kabul, which throughout history, was admired by many great figures, such as the great central asian conqueror, zahirudeen babur. Unfortunately, due to many years of war, this great city has been shattered and nearly destroyed.

Today, afghanistan is on a road to recovery, however, after decades of war, the economy is still in ruins, and its environment is in a state of crises. The country is riddled with landmines left from the war, which are still injuring and killing people on a daily basis. Currently, afghanistan is being run by a united states backed, transitional government headed by president hamid karzai. Presidential elections are expected to be held on october 9, 2004; so far the date has been pushed back twice.

Getting There
The only airline recently serving Afghanistan was Ariana Afghan Airlines, which flew from Delhi in India to Kabul. At present, only Red Cross planes fly into the country, and it's almost impossible to get a seat on one. If the borders are open, the U.S. State Department recommends only using the land routes from Iran, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. All border crossings are potentially dangerous.

Getting There
By Air:
At the time of writing there are no internal Flights.

By Road:
Prior to the fighting, there were over 22,000km (13,000 miles) of roads, some of which were paved. This network has largely been destroyed. Traffic drives on the right. Buses, trolleybuses and taxis used to operate in Kabul but often proved unreliable. Since the fighting, some services have resumed, but are less reliable than ever due to the extensive infrastructure and vehicle destruction incurred.