Istalif

On the Shomali plain's western rise, Istalif has fired pottery for centuries: the village's workshops turn bowls, plates and ewers glazed in the signature ishkor turquoise-green - plant-ash chemistry passed father to son - from wood kilns whose smoke has scented the mulberry terraces since Mughal emperors picnicked here and declared the valley among their favourites. The bazaar lane sells the ware stacked in cyan towers, vine and walnut gardens step down to the stream, and the tradition's persistence through every hard chapter makes each purchase a vote for its future. Visits run within the country's standing arranged-travel terms.

Background

The village belongs to the Koh Daman area, north of Kabul, and looks out over the Shomali Plain. Its name may come, with its sounds rearranged, from the Greek staphilè, a bunch of grapes, or from the Parāčī word estuf, a cow-parsnip once common at lower elevations in the Hindu Kush. Babur, the Mughal ruler, liked the town in the early 16th century, and tradition says he hosted gatherings in its gardens and summer houses. Local lore traces the master potters, called ustads, to Sayyid Mir Kulal, a Sufi saint and potter from Bukhara believed to have settled here over 400 years ago. Until 1998 it was a breadbasket for the region, ringed by orchards growing grapes, roses and wheat.

Source: Wikipedia, "Istalif"

Highlights

• The potters' wheels - ishkor-glaze craft at the benches.
• The wood kilns - firings that scent the terraces.
• The bazaar lane - turquoise ware stacked in towers.
• The garden valley - mulberries and vines the Mughals praised.

When to go

Spring and autumn dress the valley best; firing schedules are the workshops' own - purchases are welcome any working day. Arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Before you go

In the village: buying is the courteous engine of visits, bargaining gentle, and photography of people by permission; the ceramics are hand-fired - pack them like the treasures they are.

Nearby

The Shomali plain, Qargha lake and Kabul.