Kandahār

Worth seeing in and around Kandahār

9 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Alexandria Arachosia

   Alexandria in Arachosia, also known as Alexandropolis, was a city in ancient times that is now called Kandahar in Afghanistan. It was one of more than twenty cities founded or renamed by Alexander the Great.

   5.7 km · ancient Greek city, site of modern-day Kandahar, Afghanistan · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Kandahar University

   Kandahar University is a major public university in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It was established during the Presidency of Mohammad Najibullah in 1990.

   2.7 km · public university in Afghanistan · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Kirka Sharif

   The Khirka Sharif is an Islamic building complex located in the center of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The complex, which includes gardens and the local congregational mosque, became notable in English literature during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, when British India was trying to establish friendship with Afghanistan.

   700 m · islamic shrine in Kandahar, Afghanistan · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet

   The Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet, also known as Jame Mui Mobarak, is a mosque located near the Kabul Bazaar, in the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The mosque was built in the 19th century by Kohendil Khan.

   900 m · Mosque in Afghanistan · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Kandahar Provincial Museum

   The Kandahar Museum is a museum located in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It has around 1,900 artifacts.

   400 m · museum in Kandahar · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Omar Al-Farooq Mosque

   The Omar Al-Farooq Mosque, also known as Jame Omer Masque, is a Sunni Friday mosque, located in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is located next to Shahidaan Chowk.

   1.7 km · mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Red Mosque, Kandahar

   The Red Mosque is one of many mosques in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is located at a crossroad in the Shahr-e Naw neighborhood of the city, on the Kandahar–Helmand Highway between the Ahmad Shah Baba High School and the 200-bed Mohmand Hospital.

   2.8 km · mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Kandahar International Cricket Stadium

   Kandahar International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The stadium was built on 44 acres of land in the heart of Aino Meyna, a new suburb of Kandahar.

   5 km · cricket stadium · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Paktika University

   Paktika University is a public university in Sharan, which is the capital of Paktika Province in eastern Afghanistan. The university was established in 2012 and now has around 2,000 students.

   2.7 km · university in Paktika, Afghanistan · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

There are a number of historical sites to visit in and around Kandahar.

1. 01
   Chil Zena

   Historical site located in the Sarpuza neighborhood.

2. 02
   Kandahar Museum

   Contains the paintings of Ghiyassuddin, regarded as one of the most important Afghan painters of all time.

3. 03
   Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani

   Resting place of Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the state of Afghanistan.

From Wikivoyage: Kandahār, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

There are many outdoor places to swim in Kandahar. There are no alligators in Kandahar but various types of snakes, scorpions and spiders do exist. The people of Kandahar traditionally enjoy family picnic trips. This sometimes involves driving to other districts of the province, usually where their farms are located. Kandahar International Cricket Stadium, inaugurated in 2017, in Aino Mina.

From Wikivoyage: Kandahār, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

There are a growing number of restaurants. Most of them serve Afghan cuisine. The popular items include roasted chicken, mutton, lamb, and beef, along with rice dishes, cooked vegetables, and plenty of fresh fruits. Fast food places that serve pizzas, burgers and other sandwiches are also growing. The best street food in Kandahar is fried fish and samosas along with several styles of freshly-baked local bread.

From Wikivoyage: Kandahār, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Kandahār

Airports

Ahmad Shah Baba (KDH), 18 km · Quetta (UET), 192 km

• Guzara → Kandahār

  436 km · quickest by air, 7h 14m · $220–320
  GuideToday
• Kabul → Kandahār

  457 km · quickest by air, 4h 40m · $170–250
  GuideToday
• Mazar-i-Sharif → Kandahār

  581 km · quickest by air, 6h 40m · $190–280
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Kandahār

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kandahār. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Kandahār – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.