A visual excursion through some easier-to-travel parts of Afghanistan
Taken November 2020
The travertine lakes of Band-e-Amir form Afghanistan’s only national park, high up in the Hindu Kush mountains.
The lakes are a series of natural dams, whose walls were formed by accumulating mineral deposits over thousands of years.
If anyone thought Afghanistan lacked colour, a mere glance at the rickshaws of Herat should be enough to prove them wrong.
Painted brightly with patriotic slogans and declarations of love, these modified motorbikes form essential city transport near the border with Iran.
Visitors to Mazar-e-Sharif’s Blue Mosque stop to feed the resident doves.
Local legend has it that any dove making the Blue Mosque home will be turned white, thanks to the holy site’s purity.
A few hours drive from Bamiyan, Chehel Burj is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which goes mostly un-noticed by local villagers, let alone visited by international tourists.
These mudbrick structures once numbered in the hundreds. Today, fewer than 30 of these (disputedly) 2nd - 5th century AD structures remain, and are crumbling fast.
The courtyards of the Blue Mosque provide a bubble of white noise, away from the hustle and bustle of Mazar-e-Sharif’s city centre
Roadside pomegranate sellers show off their stock on the road out of Mazar-e-Sharif
A low haze hangs over Bamyan at dusk, viewed from the ruins of Shahr-e Gholghola, the ‘City of Screams’
Genghis Khan’s favourite grandson was killed here during a siege in 1221, leading Genghis to massacre the entire city’s population as revenge.
The strategic locations of ancient forts remain as apparent today as they did when they were built - located overlooking major rivers and valleys, anxiously awaiting foreign invaders
A local tailor in Herat specialises in churning out burqas from his shop in the main market
The mineral deposits of Band e Amir show up on the shrinking shoreline of this lake near the park’s entrance
Although the Buddhas of Bamyan are one of the best-known ancient sites in Afghanistan, the surrounding countryside sits nonchalantly alongside
Although Afghanistan’s streets are bursting with life, being sensitive when taking photos can be tricky, to avoid capturing the many armed guards, or offending people who’d rather not appear on film.
This shot was taken from the back of a vehicle near Herat’s main market as street vendors strolled by.
A local man stops to show off his most recent purchase at Kabul’s Bird Market
Options are limited for overlanding in Afghanistan as a foreigner, though outside of Mazar-e-Sharif, Russian 4x4s are the transport of choice on the unsealed roads
Rusted-out tanks litter Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley.
The narrow valley, hemmed in by mountainous terrain provide difficult for the Soviets to take during their invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70’s.
After the mujahideen blew up the roads, some soviets tried taking their tanks up the riverbed instead, condemning them to a watery grave.
Charkent Gate outside of Mazar-e-Sharif has been in place for over 800 years, and prevented the raiding of Mazar by many foreign forces, most recently the soviets in the late 70’s.
The gate closes up a narrow gap in the valley, and with it, the only point of access into Mazar.
Taped lines for separating devotees during prayer time are outlined on the floor of Herat’s Friday Mosque, as two cleaners take a break to chat in the early morning
Kabul’s main ‘tourist street’ hosts an array of carpet shops and juice stands.
Although tourists may be few and far between, the street is still a popular spot for locals to stop for a chat.