Shiberghan

Introducing Shiberghan

Another of the old khanates that ran across the north like knots on a string, the city of Shiberghan is the centre of Uzbek power in Afghanistan and the hometown of General Abdul Rashid Dostum. A nondescript sort of a place, its lowslung appearance belies its history. Shiberghan was part of ancient Bactria, the great range of steppe that hosted the warring city states of the Greeks and later, the Kushans. In 1978 archaeologists working at Tillya Teppe outside the city uncovered a major Kushan gravesite containing a wealth of gold artefacts – the so-called ‘Bactrian Gold’.

Other visitors commented on a different sort of treasure. When Marco Polo stopped in Shiberghan he noted that ‘here are found the best melons in the world in very great quantity.’ Modern travellers may well agree. In addition to farming, Shiberghan’s economy is now boosted by its natural gas fields – the pipeline to Mazar-e Sharif follows the main highway. The city has many Turkish NGO offices, evidence of Dostum’s period in exile there in the late 1990s. Posters of the big man himself are everywhere.

There’s not much to see in Shiberghan itself and although you might spend a night here if you’ve come from Maimana, it’s just as easy to push on to Mazar-e Sharif. The small Turkmen town of Aqcha lies 50km to the east off the main highway and has an interesting traditional bazaar every Monday and Thursday, with carpet and jewellery sellers.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009