Kabul, Afghanistan

The city in a green mist

This city is nearly 2,000 years old, most of which it has been defended, seized, destroyed, rebuilt. The majority of buildings in the city are two or three floors huts made of mud. There is almost no greenery or trees in the streets, the city is located in a mountainous desert area, and there is no tradition of planting streets with trees.

Almost every house on the ground floor has either a shop or a workshop. They trade everything from cheap jewelry made of stone and metal to household appliances, foodstuff and even weapons. The shops are called dukans, and they are thronged with the main urban life. Problems are solved, plans are discussed, deals are made, intrigues are plotted, and rumours and news are spread there.

There used to be public transport in the city: buses, trolley buses, they even planned to run a tram and centralized taxi in the 1970s . Now there are only taxis or private minibuses and trucks with baled passengers shaking in their bodies. Taxis are also local colors. It is often possible to see such a picture: in the cabin of a seasoned yellow «Mercedes» in the back seat the father of the family settles down, and in the open trunk, having their feet out, his wives are sitting.

There is no centralized heating system in Kabul, and most people heat their homes with firewood or kizyaks — dried manure with straw. This kind of fuel, not only smells, but also has a characteristic green-yellow smoke.

When in summer months, you get to Kabul, you see the city covered in a dirty green haze.

Almost all of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed in the 1990s after the Soviet troops withdrew from the country. Since 2008, Kabul has had to clean up its streets, airport, electricity and other communications. But the progress has been slow, mainly because of the reluctance of the local population to change their habits and increase costs.





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