About Kandahar.net

Kandahar.net is an independent reference about the city and province of Kandahar — its history, culture, geography, economy and daily life.

What this site is

A single, well-organized place to understand Kandahar. Every page aims to answer its topic completely: no filler, no recycled press copy, no ten-paragraph introductions. Where facts are uncertain — population figures, contested etymologies, the dates of old buildings — we say so plainly rather than inventing precision. The goal is a reference you can trust for orientation, not a substitute for specialist scholarship or current official advice.

How the site is organized

The material is grouped into sections you can reach from the top navigation: history, from ancient Arachosia and Old Kandahar through Mirwais Hotak and Ahmad Shah Durrani to the present; culture, including khamak embroidery, Pashtunwali and Pashto verse; places and landmarks; the province's districts; geography and climate; food; the economy; and, because the region is famous for them, a dedicated section on pomegranates. A travel section and an FAQ gather the practical questions people most often ask.

Editorial standards

Content is compiled from academic histories, primary travel accounts, archaeological reports, agricultural and trade studies, and local knowledge, then cross-checked against more than one source where possible. Legends and traditional accounts — the crowning of Ahmad Shah, the story of Malalai at Maiwand, the lives of local saints — are presented as tradition, not as settled fact. Pages are dated when materially updated. We describe security and political conditions factually and without advocacy, and we take no side in Afghanistan's political disputes.

Names and spelling

Pashto and Dari names have no single fixed English spelling, so the same place or person may appear elsewhere written several ways — Kandahar or Qandahar, Arghandab or Arghistan, Mirwais or Meerwais. We use the most widely recognized English forms and note common alternatives where confusion is likely. Coordinates given for landmarks and districts are approximate and intended for orientation on a map rather than for navigation.

Corrections and contributions

If you spot an error — a date, a spelling, a changed reality on the ground — we want to hear it. Kandaharis with first-hand knowledge of neighborhoods, crafts, or the orchard trade are especially welcome to contribute. Write to us at hello@kandahar.net. Please say which page you are referring to and, where you can, point to a source so we can verify the change before making it.

Independence

The site is not affiliated with any government, party or organization, and it carries no sponsored content. It is kept deliberately light and fast: no tracking beyond basic analytics, no intrusive scripts, and pages that work without JavaScript. Limited advertising may appear to cover hosting, but it never shapes what the pages say.