Istalif is a large village located approximately 30 Km north of Kabul, to the west of Kabul Charikar road, on the eastern slope of the Paghman Mountain. No archeological activities have taken place in Istalif; on the other hand it is renowned for its ceramic studios and for its beautiful surroundings. For connoisseurs
Of France, Istalif could be compared to St-Paul-De-Vence. The village was built over several centuries on hell dominating the Kohdaman plan. The village was organized in levels. At the bottom, one finds the sheep skin tannery studios, then the felt makers studio, next to the them the weavers studio, and the studios where one weaves the Gilims (wool tapestries with geometrical shapes). Above are the agriculture installations where wheat, vines and orchards are grown. Finally at the top were about twenty poetry studios with large ovens next to each potter’s house. Only a few years ago Istalif had almost three hundred potters, with women and children involved in pottery making. At the very top is buried Eshan Ze the patron Saint of the potters corporation. The potters say that their ancestors came to Istalif from Bukhara with their master Eshan Ze. These potters are all Tajiks and were very well organized into a closed corporation. An initializing followed by a test was of order and available to older craftsmen and given that a position in one of the studios was open. The potter’s art and specifically the secrets of the blue colored enamel are considered as a gift from God that should be disclosed only to those who deserve it
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