Photography

Hey there. Another day, another trip of mine, here to give a quick glance of a country that’s mostly covered in our news section and not so much in a photographers digest for it’s beauty.

This trip was supposed to take place in September 2021 but I think everyone knows what happened a few weeks before…

Many would percieve this a dangerous trip, especially since the Taliban took over and I thought so too, but I was proven otherwise. Ever since the new reign, people here live with much less fear about security. Terrorism, theft and robbery became much less present but in return of all this new security there comes a big trade-off – more poverty.

But it doesn’t stop there. Entertainment like cinemas an music? Abandond. Women? Bombed back into a different century.

Women are not allowed to finish school higher than 6th class, not eligible to study, not permitted to learn English, basically not allowed to do anything but be a birthing machine.

In contrast the country was surprisingly clean and quite modern in some aspects. Billboards all over the place, public services, security measurements on constructions, current transmitted over transmission towers and widespread usage of solar panels. The air quality however was very bad. Sewage was an open system on the sidewalks and toxic fumes from cars  it was almost unbreathable within the city centres.

Enjoy!

Arriving on Kabul International Airport with depature from Dubai. A first impression on how cultural artworks are tacked with ads. It will be a repeating element throughtout the trip.

Traffic in Kabul is not very pleasant. Not because I got my phone snatched out of the car but because you're faster going by foot.

High supply, low demand. There is an abundance of food.

A repair shop for bicycles. It might not look professional but they'll fix the problem faster than any repair shop in the west.

The famous bird market in Kabul. It is said that birds give a little distraction from all the misery going on.

You might even want some flying turtle?

The markets are excessivly crowded.

A local sharpening knives and scissors.

Quite the hair saloon.

The Sakhi Shrine. You're not allowed to see the inside as infidel.

Gardens of Babur. The axis is aligned toward Mecca. Two years ago, men and women often met here. Now only men can visit the place.

The Queen's Palace. Locals could have a coffee in here. Now they cannot even get this view.

A partial view over Kabul.

Signs of an international city. Pizza, burgers and delivery. The better restaurants are often guarded.

The Darul Aman Palace, built in the 1920s during Amanullah Khan's reign, severely damaged in the 1990s and finally reconstructed in 2019. Unfortunately you need a special permit to even get into the site.

On our way to Bamyan. Baba mountains, the western extension of the Hindu Kush.

The buddahs of Bamyan, here with the smaller one with a height of 38 metres. All three statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Plans to reconstruct the buddahs have been abandond.

The baba mountains made it quite the pleasant view.

City of Screams. Once massacred by Genghis Khan.

Zuhak, or known as The Red City. Once again raided by Genghis Khan.

Band-e-Amir is a national park with seven insanely blue lakes. The specific pictures don't do their color justice. Locals come here to enjoy some family time.

Always on standby. Talibans enjoying their boat trip as the local govenor was invited to dinner.

We went to visit an orphanage where we held and Q&A session and brought them some goods.

Kids here have access to a variety of books, including english, novels, scientific work and many more.

The sad truth is that women here are better off in the current situation as they are teached in english until the 6th class and then sent to Pakistan to finish school and proceed with their studies.

Salang pass here we come. It links Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif through the Hindu Kush. The pass itself is a four to five hours bumpy ride. Our trip starting from Bamyan to Mazar was around 13 hours.

The Salang tunnel is one day, one way for trucks. They have to wait until 7 pm for it to open.

Finally at the "top" at around 3500 metres and a spectacular view onto the Hindu Kush.

The blue mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif. Sunnis think it contains Imam Ali's tomb, though it is actually located in Najaf. With it's persian influence for style it's quite "funny" that sunnis go here for their prayer.

Of course Talibans are allowed to enter with their guns.

White pigeons in the backyard.

The green mosque in Balkh.

A gun shop in Mazar-i-Sharif, supposedly only for Taliban.

Entering the airport of Mazar-i-Sharif for our first domestic flight to Herat via Kabul.

The old airport building.

The new airport building, gifted and constructed by the german government.

The Hindu Kush from above.

As they say.

The Great Mosque of Herat. A few years ago, all of the frontyard was still green.

Beautiful inside.

The tiles are still made in-house. The cost of a square metre is around $700...

The inlays are cut and grinded by hand.

Here is where the tiles are made.

The knowledge how to make them is still there, but due to funding problems only few tiles are made.

The citadel of Herat where Alexander the Great had a foot in, lavishly restored with the help of the US government.

The Musalla complex. The complex used to have 20 minarets but only 5 survived over the time. The fifth is behind me.

The Malan bridge in Herat, more than 900 years old. It was partly reconstructed in 1995.

Prototype afghans.

A madrasa.

End.

  login to reply