Afghanistan was one of the most unusual countries I had ever decided to visit. For decades, most of what the outside world had seen of the country was war, political instability, the Taliban, and the aftermath of the 2001 American invasion. By the time I traveled there, Afghanistan had become almost impossible to separate from those images.
But there was obviously much more to the country than war. Afghanistan has thousands of years of history, ancient cities that once stood along some of the world’s most important trade routes, a deeply rooted culture of hospitality, and enormous mountain ranges stretching across much of the country.
I didn’t go to Afghanistan with the military or for business. I went simply as a traveler, wanting to experience a country that very few tourists were visiting and to see what Afghanistan was actually like beyond the images of conflict I had seen for most of my life.
Explore Kabul
Afghanistan’s capital spreads across a high valley surrounded and divided by rugged mountains. Kabul combines centuries of history with the unmistakable marks of the conflicts that transformed the city during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Historic gardens, mausoleums, mosques, bustling markets, hillside neighborhoods, and the monumental Darul Aman Palace reveal very different chapters of the capital’s story. Kabul is also a city of striking contrasts, where war-damaged structures stand alongside newer development and ordinary urban life continues among some of Afghanistan’s most recognizable modern landmarks.
Explore Herat
Herat is one of Afghanistan’s great historic cities, occupying a strategic position near the country’s western frontier and serving for centuries as an important center of trade, religion, art, and culture. Its surviving architecture reflects a history stretching from the ancient world through the city’s remarkable flowering under the Timurids.
The massive Citadel of Herat rises above the old city, while the Friday Mosque is covered in elaborate tilework. The Musalla minarets, Gawharshad’s mausoleum, Gazar Gah, historic cemeteries, traditional markets, and workshops add further layers to a city with one of the richest concentrations of cultural heritage in Afghanistan.
Explore Mazar-i-Sharif
Mazar-i-Sharif is the principal city of northern Afghanistan and home to one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks: the brilliant blue Shrine of Hazrat Ali. Also commonly known as the Blue Mosque, the shrine is covered in intricate tilework and surrounded by gardens and the white doves for which the complex is famous.
Nearby Balkh adds a far older dimension to the region. Once one of Central Asia’s great cities, its history stretches back thousands of years through successive civilizations and conquerors. Ancient walls and archaeological remains survive around a landscape that was important long before modern Mazar-i-Sharif developed around its celebrated shrine.
Explore Istalif
Istalif sits in the hills north of Kabul overlooking the Shomali Plain, offering a dramatically different setting from Afghanistan’s major cities. The historic village is surrounded by a greener landscape of orchards and mountain valleys and has long been a popular retreat from the capital.
Istalif is especially renowned for its traditional pottery, an artisan tradition that has been practiced in the village for generations. Pottery workshops, village markets, traditional homes, and the surrounding mountain scenery offer a closer look at rural Afghan life and one of the country’s enduring handicraft traditions.
