George: It sounds like my interests in traveling to Afghanistan where similar to yours. I know dozens of Afghans
that live here in Virginia and the country has always appealed to me because it is almost never traveled by
westerners and so little is known about it. Fly from Dubai to Kabul with Kam airlines, www.flykamair.com. Since
I was fortunate enough not to have any violence directed towards me and I my time was measured in weeks not
months I'm not really able to say if the violence has been getting worse or not based on my experience.
Unfortunately everyone in the country did tell me things were getting worse so I just took there word for it.
that live here in Virginia and the country has always appealed to me because it is almost never traveled by
westerners and so little is known about it. Fly from Dubai to Kabul with Kam airlines, www.flykamair.com. Since
I was fortunate enough not to have any violence directed towards me and I my time was measured in weeks not
months I'm not really able to say if the violence has been getting worse or not based on my experience.
Unfortunately everyone in the country did tell me things were getting worse so I just took there word for it.
| Afghanistan |
| Afghanistan is a country rich in culture and history but with an unfortunate recent past, one that has been stuck in various wars for the past few decades. The country became famous to much of the world after the United States invaded to fight off the taliban in its search for Osama Bin laden. Despite significant achievements, the country is considered to be among one of the most dangerous destinations in the world for travelers. Afghanistan's reputation for hospitality, deep culture, ancient cities, and some of the highest mountains in the world have been replaced with images of war and destruction. Few people know anything about Afghanistan other than the recent violence in the country. I went to Afghanistan not for the military or business, but just as a traveler seeking to experience places that few people in the western world get to see. |
| Afghanistan Travel |
| Afghanistan Links |
| Post a question or comment about traveling in Afghanistan. |
| Even in the 1800s, Afghanistan was still the scene of several wars that existed throughout that century. Afghanistan was fighting both British and Russian influence over a hundred years ago, until those wars ended in 1919 and the country finally saw true independence. Afghan King Amanullah Khan then led the country, and ruled from his huge palace in Kabul. During the soviet war in the 1980s his palace was destroyed, but still stands today in ruins. |
| Today Afghanistan is led by President Hamid Karzai as seen to the left. Hamid Karzai was a fighter against the Russian invasion and at first was pro taliban when they took over the country. He was asked to be a taliban spokesman, but as they began to get more extreme he distanced himself from them. Eventually things between Karzai and the taliban went sour enough to where the taliban attempted to assassinate him so he fled to Pakistan. Later when the US invaded, he supported the Americans in overthrowing the taliban and returned to Afghanistan. On the left is his picture displayed in downtown Kabul. On the right is a mausoleum of a former Afghan ruler long before Karzai. |
| Signs of the city recovering are there, but Kabul definitely has a long way to go. On the left is the nation's Islamic University, almost completed when I visited at the end of 2008. On the right is a shrine to another famous Afghan, a former military commander. |
| Many houses in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan are built right up along the bases of the mountain which kind of reminded me of La Paz Bolivia. On the upper left is TV mountain. The other photo shows a new mosque in the downtown part of the city, and the two right photos are of homes built in some of the steeper areas of Kabul. |
| Some things are being built while others stay like they were for the past few decades. On the left is a man riding his bike past the presidential palace, on the right is a new marble home built in Kabul. |
| Another building that has been abandoned and not restored or demolished is the old Soviet cultural house. Just down the street from it I saw a fight between two guys, one had a stick and was hitting another guy and there was a small crowd around as seen on the left. On the right you can see bullet holes from past wars in a wall of the structure. |
| Inside the old soviet headquarters, I found almost everything completely looted and destroyed. There was a man and his son taking bricks from the building and hauling them off in a wheel barrel. One of the only things that remained was the murals on the wall above. On the right is Lenin's portrait which was above a main door, shot out with gunfire. While exploring the inside, I felt like the Soviets were just here years ago. |
| Something I didn't expect to find in the abandoned headquarters were many junkies. Many people were just homeless and lying around sleeping in the middle of the day. Others were doing drugs and just zoned out sitting in random parts of the building. On the left is a young kid who was passing through or living here, I'd like to think he wasn't doing drugs. Above is one of many syringes I found laying on the ground. |
| Some positive changes in Afghanistan are new freedoms that weren't allowed during taliban rule. Most people I talk to like it better without the taliban, but now they pay the price by facing the insecurity of kidnappings and bombings. Above on the left is a ferris wheel in the Kabul zoo, and yes it was running along with another ride I saw. On the right is a kid flying a kite. Kites once again are in the Kabul skies, something that was also banned during taliban control. |
| Above are Afghan children in the area where I saw many kids flying kites. They couldn't speak English but were more than happy to run up to us and try to talk. I was surprised by the diversity of different ethnic groups in the country, I wouldn't have thought the girl on the upper right was Afghan if I had just seen her photo. I assume they are all brothers and sisters but had no way of knowing for sure. |
| In almost every street I drove through in Kabul, I was surprised to see busy markets. Chicken street is Kabul's busiest market, but for that reason it can be a target by insurgents so I didn't go there. Above is a photo of one random market on the left, and a new shopping mall in downtown Kabul in the right. Entering the shopping mall required passing by armed guards and going through metal detectors, but once inside you couldn't tell that you were in Afghanistan. Newer buildings like the shopping mall above are rare in the country with only a few in Kabul and one in Herat, but yes the mall above did have a working ATM machine that worked with my card! |
| Above are two photos from some other markets. On the left is a man selling burqas and other clothing items. On the right is a meat market with a soldier passing by, and yes, those are goat balls still attached to the animal! |
| Afghanistan is famous for being a mountainous country. But like few cities in the world, Kabul is divided by mountains instead of built in between them. One place called TV mountain gives you great views of the city of 4 million people from both sides. The four photos above and below are views seen from TV mountain of Kabul, the lower left photo has Kabul's tallest building. |
| Kabul still faces many challenges regarding security and violence. The photo of the guest house in the upper left is much safer than a normal hotel. Hotels get more attention, and a few months ago one was stormed in Kabul and several foreigners were gunned down. On the upper right is a US helicopter flying above Kabul going to Bagram air base. |
| Some things in Kabul have improved but recently most things have been going the wrong way; taliban are all around Kabul and violence is increasing. On my second night in Kabul taliban fighters launched rockets into the city.around 3am. Cars and trucks can be used to sneak in weapons, so traveling by bike maybe the best means of transportation for locals. On the right, trucks are stopped from entering Kabul due to the anniversary of a past leader's death. Trucks had to wait outside the borders all day until after the celebrations for fear of suicide bombers. |
| There was also a really good book store in downtown Kabul. Almost every single book had to do with Afghanistan, mostly cultural and historical books. This is also one of the few places where you can buy postcards and posters. |
| Outside the city of Kabul is a town known as Istalif. It is a picturesque town but there are still signs of war as the collapsed roof on the right. Like most countries, people seemed to be more friendly here than the capital. |
| Outside of Kabul I did a short drive to some nearby villages and was surprised when I saw several fields of grape vines like on the left. I was told these used to be very popular outside the capital but where destroyed by the taliban. The only other interesting plants I saw that were new to me are the strange looking flowers on the right. |
| Also in this area I found an old soviet tank seen above with the pedals on the right. Below are some of the many bullet shells from the war that are all over the countryside. The red rocks indicate that there are mines in the area. |
| In the actual village of Istalif I saw similar markets like in Kabul, just that these mostly focused on food. Since Afghanistan is such a dry country I was surprised to see huge piles of fruits and vegetables for sale. Unfortunately for the people there didn't seem to be anyone to buy their food, but they had enough to feed ten times their village it seemed. On the left is a man selling in the Istalif market, above is a horse found in someone's yard. |
| The main economy in Istalif is its pottery collections. Parallel to the market street that I showed above is another street lined with pottery shops. Above is the inside of a store with several ceramics for sale, all are made by hand. On the right is a man making new items in the factory section of the village. He said they do export to other countries but have a very difficult time because of competition from countries like India and China. |
| On the left here is a loom with some more examples of some ceramics; teapots made in Istalif. |
| Two final photos of Istalif, beautiful flowers above and a beautiful mosque on the right. In Istalif where everything is based on art you naturally expect them to have an attractive mosque since they make all their tiles in their own village. This small village also had some small but impressive gardens throughout its borders. I was surprised how colorful parts of Istalif were and wish I had taken more photos of the town. |
| Next in Afghanistan was the city of Herat, on the border of Iran & Uzbekistan. Herat is a calmer city than Kabul but is not immune to violence. Only a week before I arrived dozens were killed between a NATO firefight with militants. I didn't know much about Herat until I arrived here but I now believe it be one of Afghanistan's best cities. On the left is a photo with an ancient city wall still standing next to dozens of modern satellite dishes on a roof. The buildings on the right are being built in honor of the world trade center that was destroyed in 9/11 in America. These will also be called the twin towers. |
| Herat is considered by many to be the cultural capital of Afghanistan. One of Herat's marvels is the Masjid-i Jami' of Herat, or the Friday Mosque in English. Many consider it to be the most beautiful mosque not only in Herat, but some go as far to say all of Afghanistan or even central and southern Asia. The Friday Mosque in Herat was first built in 1200A.D by Ghorid Sultan Ghiyasuddin, but has been severely damaged several times due to war and earthquakes in the past 800 years. Ghorids usually weren't very artistic with some of their architecture, so it was expected that the original Friday mosque wasn't as impressive as colorful as the one today. After the mosque was restored in the 15th century, it was believed that the colorful tiled mosaics were added but faded over the centuries. A more recent restoration of the Friday Mosque has made it one of the most beautiful in the world. There are parts of the mosque that you can enter such as the tile shop where they make all the decorations for the mosque and remodel them. Most parts you can not if you are a non muslim, I did try to enter the main mosque but I was stopped by one of the mullahs who said I was an infidel and could not enter. He was nice about it at least. |
| Details of the Friday mosque; one of the minarets on the left with details of the tiles on the mosque entrance seen on the right. Above is the tomb of the founder of the Friday Mosque which is located on the western side of the mosque. |
| The surrounding photos are of people at the Friday Moque with the exception of the lower right photo. Above are some Afghans meeting in the mosque's gardens. The girl on the left was at the entrance, while the 3 women on the right where seen elsewhere in Herat as an example of traditional clothing. I saw several women with the blue burqas in Kabul which is supposed to be the current fashion, but they were much more popular in Herat than other parts of Afghanistan that I saw; I hear only black is used in Kandahar.. I took the picture of the 3 women as I was passing by in a car, and a local police man saw me and gave me a crazy look. Nothing else happened but I could have been arrested. |
| Herat is another ancient Afghan city and has dozens of cemeteries that date back hundreds if not thousands of years. Above is a shrine and tomb of one of the kings of Afghanistan. Below is another shrine and tomb directly behind the above building. |
| The Musalla complex in Herat was another favorite place for me. The complex has 5 minarets that are still standing, one that has to be supported with cables. On the left is a shot of four of the minarets, with the lone one on the right. I had wanted to visit the Minaret of Jam which is a 15 hour drive east of this city, but didn't have the time and the road is controlled by taliban. Minaret of Jam is twice the height of these and built in a scenic area along a river. One day I'll see it, but these in Herat made me feel better about missing Minaret of Jam. |
| The bath you see on the left side was once used by one of the important family members living in the citadel, perhaps a prince or princess. On the right is the public bath which would have had been used by dozens of people. |
| The citadel seemed to be completely constructed of bricks instead of solid stone. On the left is a hallway filled with arches, on the right shows how the arches where made using bricks. Of course some reconstruction has been done, but it's still amazing how the citadel lasted this long. |
| Herat has one of the best museums in the country called the jihad museum. It is dedicated to the Afghan-Soviet war that took place in the 1980s. Most of the museum displays real weapons used in the war, such as the soviet helicopter above, ammunition below, and the mine that was common during the war on the lower right. Inside the museum is a spiraling staircase that takes you on a second floor with a 360 view of sculptures and paintings acting out famous parts of the battle. One example is the sculpture on the right that shows mujahadeen forces taking over a soviet tank. I asked the curator if they had any stinger missiles, but he said someone had called in and said they would bring one next week |
| The Mussalla complex was founded in the 15th century by Gawhar Shad who was wife of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh. Shah Rukh was known for his conquests in the region and after capturing Herat from the Kart Maliks, he made the city the capital of the Timur empire. Both Shah Rukh and his wife Gawhar Shad were known for their cultural renaissance that they led during their life time. After Gawhar Shad died in 1447 she continued to be an important face in the Timur empire before it fell apart. On the upper left you can see another photo of a minaret in the complex. Directly above is the structure that houses the tombs of Gawhar Shad herself and some of her family members, seen on the left. |
| Over a thousand years before Shah Rukh and Gawhar Shad ruled Herat, the famous Alexander the Great's conquest led him to the city in 330 B.C. where he built a major fort. Over the next centuries, Mongols, Shah Rukh, and other leaders continued to reinforce the citadel and it is still standing today. The 18th century Afghan kingdom used it as a royal palace where they also had public baths, a treasury, and a prison. |
| It seemed like there were so many places in Herat I had already visited that I thought I already checked off the most important sites. Gazar Gah is one of Afghanistan's most holiest shrines and is dedicated to the poet Khoja Abdullah Ansari who lived around 1,000 A.D. The mosque and tombs together are considered the most important site in Herat by some. The area is a large cemetery that is the final resting place of some of the most famous people in the world. One sarcophagus contained the remains of another former King of Afghanistan, another the builder of the Taj Mahal in India, and yet another has the remains of Alexander the Great's son who died at a young age in the region. Many other important tombs are in Gazar Gah from fighters of the Afghan-Anglo war to other sultans throughout Afghanistan's history. The tomb of the poet Khoja Abdullah Ansari is at the front of the mosque near the tree and inside the blue tomb. No doubt about it Herat is one of Afghanistan's most beautiful cities. |
| Afghanistan has not really had the chance to fully explore the citadel, and when I visited it many parts were still being excavated. The photo on the left side shows Afghans uncovering a part of the citadel that was completely buried underground over the past centuries. Other parts like in the photo on the right have been preserved or restored. I wonder what kind of amazing discoveries they might find as they excavate. |
| The left sarcophagus contains the builder of the Taj Mahal who was actually an Afghan King, the sarcophagus on the right is supposedly the resting place of Alexander the Great's son. This is what locals tell me, but I couldn't find anything to support it or contradict it on the internet. |
| Like Kabul, Herat has some very interesting markets and shopping to do. Something that I didn't see in Kabul that I saw in Herat were tuk tuks like on the left side. These are popular in southeast Asia, but I hadn't seen one in Afghanistan until I came here in Herat. Unlike the ones in Thailand, the tuk tuks here are each decorated differently by the drivers. Take one of them to drop you off at the markets like I did. On the right is a carpet shop where some of them ranged from $50 to $400, great prices considering they can be several thousand in the west! |
| This guy above was blowing glass and making things like vases and other items. I am not a big shopper and I almost never by souvenirs, but if I had the means to bring it home I would have definitely have boughten a lot of interesting items from Herat. |
| On the left is a photo of some Afghans looking into the window of an antique store. The photo on the right is the inside of an antique store where you could buy British muskets, ancient swords, and even 1,000 year old coins. |
| Like most of my pages, I usually show all the wildlife at the bottom of the page. Most of Afghanistan is a dry barren place with very few animals. Most of the wildlife I came across were bees, ants and pigeons if that counts for anything. The mountainous areas of the country are home to several types of deer, bear, wolves and other game animals but I did not have a chance to visit that part of the country. |
| These two photos show someone trying out a Persian guitar on the left and one of the shopkeepers on the right. Several shopkeepers I met in all parts of Afghanistan invited me in for a free cup of tea with desert or fruits. |
| These bugs looked like giant potato bugs or rolly pollys as we call them back home, just maybe 2 or 3 times larger. This is the only unique bug or animal I saw in Afghanistan that I had never seen before. In the left photo one of the bugs is eating one of his dead companions, suggesting that they eat anything. What makes this place pretty nasty is that these bugs are in a cemetery and there were tons of them walking around and coming out of the tunnels they built. The graves in this cemetery were built by poor people and where nothing more than a pile of dirt on top of the bodies. Its pretty obvious what the colony of bugs living here are using as food and must be a gruesome site underground. |
| Some other exceptions to the bees and birds were some lizards I saw towards the end of my trip. The gecko on the left was pretty big, maybe 3 times the size of the smaller lizard on the right. I believe the lizard on the left is called a leopard gecko, common in many US pet stores, I'm not sure of the species of lizard on the right. |
| One of my favorite places to visit in Kabul was Babur Gardens. Babur Gardens has been a popular place to visit for hundreds of years. The gardens were created in the 17th century, but have been abandoned and rebuilt several times throughout Afghanistan's history. Today the gardens are once again rebuilt and are popular with Afghan families. |
| The majority of Babur gardens are filled with trees, but of course there are plenty of flower beds like the ones above. |
| After visiting Herat I returned to Kabul and then began my 8 hour drive to the north of the country. This road trip meant driving through Afghanistan's mountains and crossing several passes. We mostly passed through empty countryside but eventually the terrain flattened out and we found ourselves surrounded by dry land and occasional farms. The end of the trip was flat where we sometimes were able to drive as high as 90mph. These photos show some examples of the different type of mountains. |
| Part of the trip took us through some tunnels, such as the one to the left that hugged the mountain so that rock slides would pass over. On the right is one of the real tunnels we went through that cut inside one of the large mountains. The tunnel was a gift from the Soviet Union, but the different wars Afghanistan went through left the inside badly damaged. Even with your lights on, with nothing to reflect the headlights the inside of the tunnel is almost completely black. Large puddles of water from leaks also make it an interesting ride. |
| Along most of the road was a fast flowing river that allows villages to survive in the otherwise dry land. Above are two photos of the river, one with sheep sleeping on the banks and the other a close up of the mountain spring water. On the left is a rice field in a small village. I saw many other crops as we drove north, even corn was being farmed here. One of the places I stopped by at had some domesticated camels who were grazing in the fields. I went up to take some photos and the kids that take care of them saw us and decided to try to show off by jumping on them. The camels had been happily eating and started screaming after they were interrupted. I seriously thought the kids were about to be attacked but they ended up winning the battle. On the lower left is one of the camels before his dinner was interrupted. |
| One place on the way north worth stopping at is the Takht caves. These caves were built in the 4th century by Buddhists, when it was Afghanistan's main religion. Rooms were carved out of the mountain that are connected by hallways with small holes in the top to allow sunlight. No one is sure how it was decorated or what artifacts were found here, but it is believed that small statues or other items were temporarily placed and moved to different sites instead of having permanent displays. |
| Finally after 8 hours of driving I reached the city of Mazar e Sharif, usually just called Mazar for short. The city itself didn't seem to look different or be unique from other places in Afghanistan, but I did notice a different fashion of burqas here. Blue were still the most popular, but I saw one gold and many white burqas that I hadn't seen anywhere else in Afghanistan. The statue on the left was at the southern entrance to Mazar, just for decorations, not a mounment. |
| No question about it, the highlight to a trip to Mazar is their famous blue mosque, also called the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. The son in law of the Prophet Mohammed, Ali ibn Abi Talib is considered to be Mohammed's successor by Shi'ites after his death, a belief that many argued about and ended up splitting the Muslim believers into two groups. Sunnis believe Ali was the fourth and final Rashidun, a religious leader in the community. Most agree Ali is buried in Najaf Iraq, but others believe he was transported to Afghanistan and is now buried in the blue mosque here in Mazar. |
| Like the Friday Mosque in Herat, the Blue Mosque in Mazar is decorated by thousands of tiles. Originally a shrine was built in this location and destroyed by Ghengis Khan in 1220A.D. In the 15th century it was rebuilt and over the years decorated until it looks like it does today. |
| Something unique at the Blue Mosque is that there are hundreds doves, and unlike other parts in Afghanistan every single one of them here is white. There is a local saying that if you bring a dove to the mosque, it will change to white within 40 days. Above are two shots of the white doves at the Blue Mosque. The photo on the upper left is perhaps the best shot I ever took; click here to purchase a large framed one. |
| Another place near Mazar is called the nine column mosque, it is considered to be the oldest and first mosque in Afghanistan built by Arabs in the 9th century. Nothing much remains except for a few columns and arches and a man sleeping behind it in a cot taking donations. |
| Alexander the Great's empire also included Mazar over 2,000 years ago. Above is the remains of what was a village with fortified walls during his time. Everything was made of mud, so it 'melted' over the years and doesn't look interesting nowadays. The city walls on the right where in really bad shape but pretty well preserved compared to the rest of the village. I did a hike on top of the wall, jumping over large holes and wasp nests. |
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George: Hi Mahta. The main cities in Afghanistan where wearing the full burqa will be expected are in areas like
Kanadahar and Jalabad. Though it's not legally enforced to wear them in these cities, the taliban has significant
influence and control in this area and not doing so will only attract attention. If you stay in places like Kabul or
Herat then wearing the hijab is fine. The taliban and al qaeda operate like the mafia; most of their attacks on
individuals are planned out over time instead of being spontaneous. So in other words they will likely know you
are in the country but you will be left alone as long as you don't make yourself stand out. They will be more
focused on what they consider to be more important targets. As an example of standing out, one NGO was killed
by the taliban in Kabul in October 08 for 'preaching Christianity'. Good luck and stay safe!
Kanadahar and Jalabad. Though it's not legally enforced to wear them in these cities, the taliban has significant
influence and control in this area and not doing so will only attract attention. If you stay in places like Kabul or
Herat then wearing the hijab is fine. The taliban and al qaeda operate like the mafia; most of their attacks on
individuals are planned out over time instead of being spontaneous. So in other words they will likely know you
are in the country but you will be left alone as long as you don't make yourself stand out. They will be more
focused on what they consider to be more important targets. As an example of standing out, one NGO was killed
by the taliban in Kabul in October 08 for 'preaching Christianity'. Good luck and stay safe!
Mahta from USA: Your pictures and information about Afghanistan is nicely and thoughtfully organized, thank you. I
am considering assisting an NGO in Afghanistan but as a woman, I am very afraid of the Taliban and while I do not mind
wearing hijab, I am greatly against wearing a full burqu that has mesh over my eyes because I have heard it damages
vision. Could you possibly tell me what cities impose these full burqus, and also, when were you there? Perhaps things
have changed since then? Gratefully...
am considering assisting an NGO in Afghanistan but as a woman, I am very afraid of the Taliban and while I do not mind
wearing hijab, I am greatly against wearing a full burqu that has mesh over my eyes because I have heard it damages
vision. Could you possibly tell me what cities impose these full burqus, and also, when were you there? Perhaps things
have changed since then? Gratefully...
Phil from USA: Hi George- I really enjoyed this travelogue. Afghanistan has always seemed like an amazing place to me
because of its traditions, violence, cultures and unbelievable architecture. I have been fortunate to meet an Afghan native
who told me many stories from the country's past. Can you tell me more about how you decided to travel to Afghanistan
and how you got around there? I would really like to know. Did you feel the violence is getting worse?
because of its traditions, violence, cultures and unbelievable architecture. I have been fortunate to meet an Afghan native
who told me many stories from the country's past. Can you tell me more about how you decided to travel to Afghanistan
and how you got around there? I would really like to know. Did you feel the violence is getting worse?
Diana from USA: Beautiful photographs. We just returned from our sixth humanitarian trip to Afghanistan and traveled
to Herat for the first time. You have taken the time to capture some of the essense and beauty of this amazing country.
Thank you for sharing the photographs.
Diana Tacey, Founder
ChildLight Foundation for Afghan Children
to Herat for the first time. You have taken the time to capture some of the essense and beauty of this amazing country.
Thank you for sharing the photographs.
Diana Tacey, Founder
ChildLight Foundation for Afghan Children
Rohullah from Afghanistan: Hi George I am from Afghanistan and I am living in England for 2 years. I am a refugee.
It was so nice to see the pictures you have put on this web. Thank you for this as it has made me very happy to see my
country.
It was so nice to see the pictures you have put on this web. Thank you for this as it has made me very happy to see my
country.
Naheed from Afghanistan: This is totally amazing, I love all the info here, thanks for posting this.
Madina from USA: Thank you George!!! for taking such BEAUTIFUL photos my home (HERAT) and the rest of
Afghanistan. just so wonderful of you not to mention brave of you to travel there!!
Afghanistan. just so wonderful of you not to mention brave of you to travel there!!
