Kabul
Eastern Afghanistan
The capital, set in a high valley ringed by mountains, with gardens, bazaars and layers of history.
- Type
- Capital city
- Elevation
- ≈1,790 m
- Known for
- Babur’s Garden
- River
- Kabul River
PLACES
34 provinces. Thousands of stories.
Cities, valleys, mountains and heritage across Afghanistan — explore them on the map or browse them all below.
INTERACTIVE MAP
One country. Many landscapes.
Travel across Afghanistan's cities, valleys, mountains and historic places.
Boundaries: geoBoundaries (CC BY 4.0), Natural Earth.
Herat
Western Afghanistan
An old city of art and learning on the Hari River, famous for Timurid architecture and tilework.
- Type
- City · Heritage
- Elevation
- ≈920 m
- Known for
- Great Mosque
- River
- Hari River
Bamyan
Central Afghanistan
Dramatic mountains, ancient cliff sanctuaries and a rich cultural heritage in the heart of the Hindu Kush.
- Type
- Heritage · Landscape
- Elevation
- ≈2,550 m
- Known for
- Cliff niches
- Nearby
- Band-e Amir
Band-e Amir
Bamyan Province
A chain of deep-blue lakes held back by natural travertine dams — Afghanistan’s first national park.
- Type
- National park
- Elevation
- ≈2,900 m
- Lakes
- Six
- Established
- 2009
Mazar-e Sharif
Northern Afghanistan
The largest city of the north, centred on its blue-tiled shrine and home to the Nowruz festival.
- Type
- City
- Elevation
- ≈360 m
- Known for
- Blue Mosque
- Festival
- Nowruz
Balkh
Northern Afghanistan
Called the “Mother of Cities”, Balkh was a centre of Bactria and later of Islamic scholarship.
- Type
- Heritage
- Era
- Bactrian →
- Known for
- Old city walls
- Poet
- Rumi’s birthplace
Kandahar
Southern Afghanistan
A historic trading city of the south, surrounded by orchards and famous for its pomegranates.
- Type
- City
- Elevation
- ≈1,010 m
- Known for
- Pomegranates
- River
- Arghandab
Jalalabad
Eastern Afghanistan
A warm, green city of citrus groves at the meeting of the Kabul and Kunar rivers.
- Type
- City
- Elevation
- ≈575 m
- Known for
- Orange blossom
- River
- Kabul River
Wakhan Corridor
Badakhshan
A remote high valley reaching toward China, between the Pamir and Hindu Kush ranges.
- Type
- Landscape
- Length
- ≈350 km
- Known for
- Pamir herders
- Wildlife
- Marco Polo sheep
Minaret of Jam
Ghor Province
A 12th-century brick minaret rising 65 metres from a remote river gorge — a World Heritage site.
- Type
- Heritage
- Built
- 12th century
- Height
- ≈65 m
- Status
- UNESCO
Panjshir
North-eastern Afghanistan
A narrow river valley walled by high peaks, known for its emerald mines and mountain villages.
- Type
- Valley
- Range
- Hindu Kush
- Known for
- Emeralds
- River
- Panjshir
Nuristan
Eastern Afghanistan
Forested mountains with distinctive wooden architecture and the Nuristani languages.
- Type
- Nature
- Landscape
- Forest
- Known for
- Wood carving
- Languages
- Nuristani
Faizabad
Badakhshan
Capital of Badakhshan on the Kokcha River, gateway to the Pamirs and to lapis lazuli country.
- Type
- City
- Elevation
- ≈1,200 m
- Known for
- Lapis lazuli
- River
- Kokcha
Badakhshan
North-eastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan's high north-east: the Kokcha valley, the Pamir and the Wakhan, home of lapis lazuli and of many mountain languages.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈1,200 m (Fayzabad)
- Known for
- Lapis lazuli
- Range
- Hindu Kush and Pamir
Badghis
Western Afghanistan
Rolling hills and pistachio woodland north of Herat, between the Paropamisus range and the Morghab river, home of the Jamshidi and other Aymaq.
- Type
- Province
- Landscape
- Hills, pastures, pistachio woods
- Known for
- Pistachios, Aymaq carpets
- Heritage
- Shah-i Mashhad madrasa
Baghlan
North-eastern Afghanistan
Where the road from Kabul comes down off the Hindu Kush: river valleys, sugar-beet fields and the Kushan temple of Surkh Kotal.
- Type
- Province
- Heritage
- Surkh Kotal
- Known for
- Sugar beet
- River
- Kunduz (Surkhab) River
Daykundi
Central Afghanistan
A rugged Hazarajat province in Afghanistan's central highlands, cut through by the Helmand River and prized across the country for its almonds.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Helmand
- Known for
- Almonds
- Landscape
- ≈90% mountainous
Farah
South-western Afghanistan
Desert plains and rising mountains along the Farah Rud, with an ancient caravan town on the road to Sistan and wide pomegranate orchards.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈730 m (Farah city)
- Known for
- Pomegranates
- River
- Farah Rud, Khash Rud
Faryab
Northern Afghanistan
A province of Uzbek and Turkmen market towns, from Maymana to the carpet-weaving oasis of Andkhoy, named after a lost medieval city.
- Type
- Province
- Range
- Band-e Turkestan
- Known for
- Andkhoy carpets, karakul
- Lowest point
- ≈257 m
Ghazni
South-eastern Afghanistan
A high plateau province south-west of Kabul, once the capital of the Ghaznavid sultans, with karez-fed orchards and natural lakes.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈2,200 m (Ghazni city)
- Heritage
- Ghaznavid minarets and palace
- Lakes
- Ab-e Istada, Dasht-e Nawur
Ghor
Central Afghanistan
High mountain country at the western end of the Hindu Kush, cradle of the Ghurid sultans and home of the Minaret of Jam.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈2,250 m (capital)
- Known for
- Minaret of Jam, Ghurids
- River
- Harirud
Helmand
South-western Afghanistan
A broad desert province threaded by the Helmand River, where irrigated fields surround the medieval ruins of Bost and the Ghaznavid palaces of Lashkari Bazar.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Helmand and Arghandab
- Known for
- Arch of Qala-e Bost
- Heritage
- Lashkari Bazar palaces
Jowzjan
Northern Afghanistan
A northern plain of Turkmen and Uzbek villages, the old Gowzgan of the Farighunid princes, where the Bactrian gold of Tillya Tepe was found.
- Type
- Province
- Heritage
- Tillya Tepe (Bactrian gold)
- Known for
- Turkmen carpets, natural gas
- Historic name
- Gowzgan
Kapisa
Central Afghanistan
Afghanistan's smallest province, a cluster of populous valleys north-east of Kabul that carries the name of an ancient kingdom.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Panjshir
- Known for
- Smallest Afghan province
- Heritage
- Ancient Kapisa kingdom
Khost
South-eastern Afghanistan
A low, warm valley in the far south-east, touched by monsoon rains and ringed by pine-covered ridges along the border.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈1,225 m (Khost city)
- Known for
- Pine nuts, cricket
- Landscape
- Low valley, forested ridges
Kunar
Eastern Afghanistan
A narrow, forested river valley on the eastern border, where the glacier-fed Kunar River runs south from Chitral towards Jalalabad.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Kunar River
- Landscape
- Forested mountain valleys
- Known for
- Conifer forests, pine nuts
Kunduz
North-eastern Afghanistan
A low, fertile river plain on the Amu Darya, once part of ancient Bactria and later the heart of Afghanistan's cotton country.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈351 m (Kunduz city)
- Known for
- Cotton and rice
- River
- Kunduz River
Laghman
Eastern Afghanistan
A green, well-watered valley province in eastern Afghanistan, where Aramaic inscriptions of Ashoka were found and the emperor Babur often stayed.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Alingar, Alishing
- Heritage
- Ashoka's Aramaic inscriptions
- Known for
- Rice, fruit, vegetables
Logar
South-eastern Afghanistan
A green river valley south of Kabul, home to the ancient copper-mining and Buddhist site of Mes Aynak and the Sufi shrines of Charkh.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Logar River
- Heritage
- Mes Aynak
- Known for
- Sufi shrines of Charkh
Nangarhar
Eastern Afghanistan
A warm river plain below the Spin Ghar, home to Jalalabad, the Buddhist site of Hadda and well-known orange groves.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈575 m (Jalalabad)
- Known for
- Hadda, oranges, Mughal gardens
- River
- Kabul and Kunar
Nimruz
South-western Afghanistan
Afghanistan's corner of Sistan: flat desert and the Hamun wetlands at the end of the Helmand River, with the ruins of medieval Zarang near Zaranj.
- Type
- Province
- Lakes
- Hamun-e Puzak, Gowd-e Zereh
- Known for
- Hamun wetlands
- Heritage
- Nad-e Ali (old Zarang)
Paktia
South-eastern Afghanistan
High basins and pine-clad ridges around Gardez, a town with roots in the Ghaznavid age and home to a famous Ganesha image.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈2,300 m (Gardez)
- Landscape
- Forested ridges, high basins
- Heritage
- Historic town of Gardez
Paktika
South-eastern Afghanistan
A wide, hilly border province of plains, pine-and-cedar woods and the headwaters of the Gomal River, with Sharana as its capital.
- Type
- Province
- River
- Gomal
- Known for
- Chilgoza pine nuts
- Range
- Toba Kakar
Parwan
Central Afghanistan
A mountain gateway north of Kabul, where the Ghorband and Panjshir rivers meet near ancient Begram and vineyards surround Charikar.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈1,600 m (Charikar)
- Known for
- Grapes and pottery
- Heritage
- Begram (ancient Kapisa)
Samangan
Northern Afghanistan
Hill country between Balkh and the Hindu Kush, home to the rock-cut stupa of Takht-e Rostam and to the Samangan of Shahnameh legend.
- Type
- Province
- Heritage
- Takht-e Rostam
- Known for
- Ancient cave sites
- River
- Khulm River
Sar-e Pol
Northern Afghanistan
Mountain valleys and river oases south of Sheberghan, whose capital probably stands on the site of Anbar, a medieval princely seat.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈610 m (capital)
- Known for
- Medieval Anbar
- River
- Ab-e Safid, Balkhab
Takhar
North-eastern Afghanistan
Between Kunduz and Badakhshan: fertile river plains, salt hills praised by Marco Polo, and the Greek city of Ai-Khanoum on the Amu Darya.
- Type
- Province
- Heritage
- Ai-Khanoum
- Known for
- Rock salt
- River
- Kokcha, Takhar River
Uruzgan
Southern Afghanistan
A mountainous province of river valleys draining into the Helmand, known for its almonds, apricots and cumin, with Tarinkot as its capital.
- Type
- Province
- Elevation
- ≈1,320 m (Tarinkot)
- Known for
- Almonds, dried apricots
- River
- Helmand, Teri Rud
Wardak
Central Afghanistan
A high, mountainous province just west of Kabul, where the Kabul River rises and Hazara highland valleys meet Pashtun farmland.
- Type
- Province
- Range
- Koh-e Baba, Paghman
- River
- Source of Kabul River
- Heritage
- The Wardak Vase
Zabul
Southern Afghanistan
Highland valleys along the Tarnak and Arghandab rivers, the old fortress town of Qalat, and orchards once famous for almonds and dried apricots.
- Type
- Province
- Heritage
- Qalat fortress
- Known for
- Almonds, dried apricots
- River
- Tarnak, Arghandab
-
Baghlan
Where the road from Kabul comes down off the Hindu Kush: river valleys, sugar-beet fields and the Kushan temple of Surkh Kotal.
-
Badakhshan
Afghanistan’s high north-east: the Kokcha valley, the Pamir and the Wakhan, home of lapis lazuli and of many mountain languages.
-
Takhar
Between Kunduz and Badakhshan: fertile river plains, salt hills praised by Marco Polo, and the Greek city of Ai-Khanoum on the Amu Darya.
-
Faizabad
Capital of Badakhshan on the Kokcha River, gateway to the Pamirs and to lapis lazuli country.
-
Minaret of Jam
A 12th-century brick minaret rising 65 metres from a remote river gorge — a World Heritage site.
-
Panjshir
A narrow river valley walled by high peaks, known for its emerald mines and mountain villages.
-
Wakhan Corridor
A remote high valley reaching toward China, between the Pamir and Hindu Kush ranges.
-
Kandahar
A historic trading city of the south, surrounded by orchards and famous for its pomegranates.
-
Balkh
Called the “Mother of Cities”, Balkh was a centre of Bactria and later of Islamic scholarship.
-
Mazar-e Sharif
The largest city of the north, centred on its blue-tiled shrine and home to the Nowruz festival.
