Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)

Mazar I Sharif is a landrace cannabis cultivar, named for the city in Northern Afghanistan where the strain reportedly originated and is still grown today. This is the authentic Mazar-i-Sharif strain known to Afghan farmers as 'Mazari', 'Balkhi', or 'Mazar-i-Sharif'. The Mazar-i-Sharif landrace originates in the Balkh region of northern Afghanistan, the historic heartland of Afghan cannabis culture. Balkh lies beyond the Hindu Kush in a region once known as Afghan Turkestan, which is part of the ancient Central Asian homeland of the world's original hashish culture. Northern Afghanistan continues to carry the legacy of historic centres of fine Turkestani resin such as Bukhara in neigbouring Uzbekistan.

It was sometime in the 1980s that a breeder crossed Afghani cannabis with Skunk #1—a Californian strain bred specifically for indoor cultivation—to create Mazar. Thanks to its bold aroma and strong physical stone, Mazar became an instant hit. Decades later, Mazar I Sharif is still a highly sought-after indica treasured by both recreational and medical users. The true Mazar-i-Sharif is a large, resinous, and high-yielding cannabis landrace which exhibits mostly broad-leafleted plants that can range between one to three metres in height. Characteristic traits are red stems and pink-red stigmas. Afghan farmers harvest Mazar-i-Sharif from October to early December to produce the legendary 'Shirak-i-Mazar' ('Milk of Mazar') charas, arguably the finest old-school hashish. Note that Afghans usually refer to hashish as 'charas' or 'garda', garda referring specifically to unpressed resin glands.