6 days trip : Eid-ul-Qurban

Trip assumed to originate from Mazar-e- Sharif airport or Uzbek (Hairatan) Border

No. Of people: Six

Eids in Afghanistan

Is a three-day public holiday in Afghanistan. Muslims have two religious celebration days and that are of Eid-u- l Fitr and Eid-ul- Qurban. Muslims from all over the world celebrate these days with their family members, friends and neighbouring people. The people of Afghanistan starts preparation a week prior to Eid. They clean all house and make it look new because their relatives will be coming to visit them, buy new clothes, shoes, apply Henna to their hands and they enjoy being together with friends, go to mosque to pray the Eid Prayer (Namazi Eid), after Namaz they congratulate each other and hug for brotherhood. They go to the houses of relatives, friends and there they eat the dry fruit mainly consisting chickpeas, raisons, candies, cookies, cakes and of course green or black tea which is special for Eid. Children groups wear their new whole outfit, go house to house to collect “Eidi” consisting candies, money, cookies etc. Generally, an adult gives Eidi to children. Some young people decides to go to picnic places with their friends in order to double their happiness. Eid is celebrated in a very peaceful environment with love.

Eid-ul-Qurban:

In the period around Eid al-Qurban, many Muslims travel to Mecca and the surrounding area in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Right after the Eid prayers Afghans sacrifice an animal in an act known as Qurbani. This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son Ismail.

Day 1 Sunday, Mazar-e- Sharif Arrival-Balkh

Date: August 19 th , 2018

Arrival and briefing at the hotel and then we will have time for a Journey to Balkh, an ancient city and centre of Buddhism, Sufism and Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. While in Balkh, you visit Haji Piyada Mosque (the walking pilgrim) Tomb of Rabia Balkhi, a semi legendary figure of Persian literature and was possibly the first woman poet in the history of New Persian poetry, Khoja Parsa Mosque and Bala Hisar, the ancient citadel built by Alexander the Great when he destroyed the Kurush (Persian empire) and crossed Amu Darya (Auxus River) in early 330, then married Rukhshana (Ruxana) in Bacteria (Balkh) and Ummul - Bilad (Mother of the cities) to Arabs. In the afternoon it is time to visit the Blue Tiled Mosque of Ali in Mazar-e- Sharif.

Day 2 Monday, Samangan and around the Bazaars

Date: August 20 th , 2018

Journey to visit Takht-i Rustam (Haibak), literal meaning the throne of Rustam, named after Rustam, a king in Persian mythology, is a hilltop settlement, well-known archaeological site in Afghanistan, in the Takth i Rostam and the adjacent Buddhist caves and stupas on top of a hill, north of Hindu Kush passes. At this location, caves were hewn out of rocks and inhabited by Buddhists. The Buddhist stupa here is in the form of a mound. It represents the earliest link to th evolution of Buddhist architecture in Afghanistan. In the afternoon we will have time to walk around the Bazaars and the rush of people being prepared for a big tomorrow.

Day 3 Tuesday, first day of Eid, Visit Local Afghanistan households

Date: August 21 st , 2018

This is the day that you will visit Afghan local houses, families, colourful mats with lots of fruit, dry fruits, sweets, cookies, cakes and candies on them. You will sit on mattress, lean to pillows, drink green and black tea, having meals and chatting to huge number of happy locals. You will see children with colourful brand new outfits going house to house asking Eidi from elders. Finally, you will experience the real Afghanistan where you can see no other time and no other place

Day 4 Wednesday, Mazar-e- Sharif and Aqcha and Bazaars

Date: August 22 nd , 2018

Journey to Aqcha the Turkmen Bazar and the ancient buildings around. Aqcha is known for the traditional carpets and rugs that are made in the area. The predominant designs being the Turkmen, Bukhara and Fil Pah (literally: Elephant's Foot) designs. At the beginning of the 19th century, Aqcha belonged to Bukhara, but in 1855 it was recovered by King Dost Mohammed, when it became a khanate within the province of Afghan Turkestan. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was protected by a mud wall and a citadel, with an estimated population of 8000 people, chiefly Uzbeks. The Khanate was small, but well-watered and populous.

Day 5 Thursday, Mazar-e- Sharif and Charkent

Date: August 23 rd , 2018

Charkent literally meaning “four clusters”, is a mountainous district in the south of Balkh Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of 32,306. You will have a full day cultural trip to Charkent district, visit the Hazara (minor ethnic of Afghanistan) villages, you will be driven by a Russian jeep and will be hearing lots of stories of Local Hazara warriors who fought against Soviets in early 1980s people and fought against Taliban in late 1990s.

Day 6 Friday, Fly back (Good-bye)

Date: August 24 th , 2018

We will make sure to drop you at the airport on-time or the Uzbek border in order to make your flight/journey back home.

Security:

We are member of Afghanistan NGO Security Organization (ANSO) that reports any security issues going around Afghanistan. A text message comes to our phone immediately if something happens and we can decide what to do and where to go in a second.

Visas:

We can send you a Letter of Invitation (LoI) to easily process your visa through our company. But, it is not a requirement for the tourist visa when you fill the form in the Afghanistan embassy. Most of the time they don’t even ask for a LoI.

Insurance:

Better to visit: www.firstalliedtravelinsurance.com for your insurance in Afghanistan

Included in the trip: (All inclusive)

- All accommodations.
- English speaking local guide.
- Transportations.
- Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
- Drinks (water and soft drinks).
- All site entries.
- All pick-ups and drops.

Tour Guide:

There will be an Afghan English speaking guide for you during the whole trip.

Accommodation:

Comfort, location, character and historical interest is considered and it will be based on you having a
private room.

Transportation: As your comfort and enjoyment of the journey is the first priority, we choose our vehicles and drivers
based on local acceptance, road conditions and the length of journey.