Mazar Sharif Real Imported Afghan Hash

Mazar Sharif Real Imported Afghan Hash takes its first word from Mazar, an area that UNODC’s 2009 survey connects with the Mazari cannabis variety and with a traditional hash called Sherak-i-Mazar. The hash is portioned at 1 g, 3.5 g, 7 g, 14 g and 28 g.

Mazari, the variety of Balkh

Mazari drew 58% of farmers’ answers in the 2009 UNODC cannabis survey of Afghanistan, and the north grew it more than any other variety. Balkh province once had a bad name because of that Mazari (Balki) cannabis, the survey says, and the variety is processed differently from others in the north and east.

Jooshi garda and its yield

Garda is the sifted resin powder of dried cannabis, graded by how much resin it holds, and in the north, the survey says, the traditionally processed first garda is called Jooshi or Balkhi garda and is considered the best. It carries more resin and no leaf, whereas central and eastern regions mix leaves in. Reportedly, 25 kg of ordinary first garda yields only about 14 kg of Jooshi garda, a little over half.

Milk of Mazar

In UNODC’s account, traditional hashish is made from Jooshi garda by hand. While one farmer holds a handful of powder in his palm and a match is lit, another sprinkles powder over the flame, and repeating this softens the powder until it is sticky and solid. Pressed and hand-rolled, it becomes a greenish-brown mass called Jooshi hashish, which the survey says also goes by Balkhi hashish or Sherak-i-Mazar.

Baba Ku of Balkh

Wikipedia records a folk tradition that hashish reached Afghanistan with Baba Ku, a legendary Sufi figure from Balkh. According to Sensi Seeds, Afghan smoking circles chant his name, and Baba means grandparent. Our Afghan Habibi review covers another hash sold as Afghan.