Afghanistan operates on Afghanistan Time (AFT), which is 4 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+4:30). This is one of only a few countries using a half-hour offset timezone. Afghanistan does not observe daylight saving time.
Major cities including Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Jalalabad all follow AFT.
Afghanistan's 30-minute offset timezone was adopted to position the country between Iran (UTC+3:30) and Pakistan (UTC+5), reflecting its geographical and cultural position at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Afghanistan is often called the "Heart of Asia" due to its strategic location. The Band-e-Amir lakes are the country's first national park.