This section covers the Northeastern portion of Afghanistan.

The historic region of Bactria spanned territory that included parts of northern Afghanistan—plus areas that are now in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.

Cities

• 1 Faizabad — a lovely town on the bank of Kokcha River. Nearby is the Lake Shewa, one of the sources of the Amu Darya
• 2 Kunduz — a town with large Uzbek and Tajik majorities

Other destinations

• 1 Ai-Khanoum — a monumental Hellenistic city at the strategic confluence of the Oxus river and the Kokcha river, destroyed by the nomadic Yuezhi around 145 BC
• 2 Surkh Kotal (also called Sar-i Chashma) — the location of huge temples and statues made during the rule of the Kushans.
• 3 Shamali Plain – windy green plains producing much of the food for central Afghanistan, badly hit by the wars
• 4 Nuristan – one of the most remote areas on Earth, right up in the Hindu Kush mountains
• 5 Wakhan Corridor – the Wakhan National Park; river valleys surrounded by very rugged mountain country, squished between Tajikistan and Pakistan
• 6 Panjshir Valley – river valley popular for its mountains
• 7 Sultan Eshkashim Market town at the border of Ishkashim village, Tajikistan

Understand

Official Provinces

• Badakhshan Province, part of the ancient kingdom of Badakhshan; the rest of it is in Tajikistan
• Baghlan Province
• Kunduz Province
• Nuristan Province
• Panjshir Province
• Takhar Province

Get in

1 Kunduz Airport, UND ^IATA. Flights from Fayzabad, Kabul by East Horizon Airlines and Kam Air