a house divided, 1933–73resettled mainly by Mohmands from Nangahar and the Kunar. A similar
fate happened to other settlements such as Minglik, which had been one of
the strategic fortresses guarding the ancient road from Aqcha to the Amu
Darya. Many of the landmarks in the Balkh area, particularly those that had
historic associations with Balkh’s pre-Durrani history, were given Pushtu
names. Government apologists justified these expulsions on the grounds
that since Balkh was the watan of the Aryan race, it was only fitting that
Pushtuns, as their direct descendants, should be the sole occupants of the
Mother of all Cities. 13 Later, the government constructed a new surfaced
highway between Mazar-i Sharif, Balkh and Aqcha; this ran several kilo-
metres to the south of the ancient trade route, distancing these towns,
spatially, from their ancient Islamic and pre-Islamic roots.
As a consequence of the redevelopment most of the urban centres of
northern Afghanistan lost their character and charm and were replaced by
vistas of concrete uniformity that were both bland and soulless. One of the
few towns to escape this cultural vandalism was the abandoned settlement
of Tashqurghan, which retained its covered bazaar until it was destroyed in
the 1990s in a firefight between General Dostam and Hizb-i Islami. 14 The
citadel of Andkhui also survived, along with two of its Timurid shrines. 15
To add insult to injury, items of value retrieved during the demolition were
sold to the highest bidder or looted by high-ranking officials. At the heart
of the shahr-i naus lay the provincial government offices, police posts, army
barracks and even hotels. The wide, straight streets made policing easier,
allowed for the swift movement of armoured vehicles and facilitated the
control of traffic in and out of the towns. The destruction of old bazaars
and many private houses forced residents and shopkeepers to rent state-
owned units, which led to a substantial increase in provincial revenues. It
also made taxing commercial activity easier.
The additional revenue was urgently needed, for the Second World War
was an economic catastrophe for Afghanistan. Exports collapsed, particu-
larly of the lucrative karakul lambskins, which led to a shortage of foreign
exchange. In an attempt to secure more hard currency the government
began exporting much of the country’s wheat and agricultural produce,
which led to internal shortages, hyperinflation and the flight of capital to
India. 16 The defeat of Germany also meant the country lost one of its most
important providers of financial, technical and military assistance, leaving
many German-funded infrastructure projects half-finished.