Photos from Our World

Afghanistan, situated between the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and the Middle East, has always been at the crossroads of Asia and central to the wars, migrations, and trade that has always dominated this part of the world. Foreign powers have never been able to dominate it, as the British found out early in the 20th Century and the Soviets for ten years from from 1979 in which they lost close to 50 000 soldiers. The Afghan people suffered horribly, losing an estimated one million people. The Soviet occupation ended in 1989. The former resistance fighters established the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1992, followed by constant civil war among themselves for control of the country, and from 1995 the "Taliban", consisting of Pashtu speaking Afghani exiles and Pakistani, invaded the country and gradually established control.

The Pathan (Pashtun) people are traditionally the dominant ethnic and linguistic community and are concentrated in the east and the south although now many are settled in other areas as well. The Tajik people who speak Dari- (a Persian dialect) live mostly in the eastern valleys north and south of the Hindu Kush mountains. Turkic peoples, mostly Uzbek and Turkmen, live in the northern plains as farmers and herders. The Hazara, a Mongoloid people who mostly speak Persian, live in the central mountains and there are many smaller communities, like the Nuristanis of the high mountains of the north east and the Baluch who live in the southern desert.

After the Taliban had captured Kabul in late 1997 the country changed its name to Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and subjected the people to their harsh interpretation of Islam, with men requiring to wear beards, women forbidden to work and children even forbidden to fly kites. The regime was not recognised internationally and collapsed after American bombardments following the terrorist destruction of New York's World Trade Center at the end of 2001. A provisional government was formed with interim leader Muhammad Kazai, who invited former King Muhammad Zahir Shah, exiled since 1973, back home and became President in June 2002. However, his influence is limited and in spite of (or maybe because of) a large presence of foreign troops the Taliban is still a force to be reckoned with, especially in the south.

Afghanistan has had a very unhappy recent history with its people suffering terribly. It is heartbreaking, as the country is stunningly beautiful, the Afghan people proud, dignified and very hospitable in their splendid Muslim tradition. I was fortunate I was able to visit Afghanistan in happier times, travelling the country for two weeks in November 1973 by public bus, staying in low budget hotels, eating in simple local eating places. This then, is the "real" Afghanistan and its people as I saw it. I hope these photos may inspire and offer hope for a better future.