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Afghanistan's unseen beauty

Dawn.com Published October 10, 2012
An Afghan villager stands in the shade next to an adobe wall in the small town of Baharak. The town is located in a fertile valley which is fed by the Kokcha river and is ringed by rugged arid mountains to the north and south of it. Badakhshan which shares borders with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan is mostly inhabited in its majority by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs.
An Afghan villager stands in the shade next to an adobe wall in the small town of Baharak. The town is located in a fertile valley which is fed by the Kokcha river and is ringed by rugged arid mountains to the north and south of it. Badakhshan which shares borders with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan is mostly inhabited in its majority by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs.
An Afghan man and a child ride a donkey in a road leading into the small town of Baharak in the province of Badakhshan in the late afternoon.
An Afghan man and a child ride a donkey in a road leading into the small town of Baharak in the province of Badakhshan in the late afternoon.
Two residents stand by the bend of the Kokcha River in the outskirts of Faizabad, the capital of the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. The Kokcha river drains the northern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains.
Two residents stand by the bend of the Kokcha River in the outskirts of Faizabad, the capital of the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. The Kokcha river drains the northern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains.
Smoke rises from a small workshop nestled in the hills around Faizabad, the capital of the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. Faizabad who's name means ?Blessed Abode? has been the capital of Badakhshan since the 17th century.
Smoke rises from a small workshop nestled in the hills around Faizabad, the capital of the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. Faizabad who's name means ?Blessed Abode? has been the capital of Badakhshan since the 17th century.
A villager walks with a donkey loaded with sacks of onions down a country road in the Payan Shahr valley in the province of Badakhshan.
A villager walks with a donkey loaded with sacks of onions down a country road in the Payan Shahr valley in the province of Badakhshan.
The road follows a fertile valley running parallel to the Kokcha river and ringed by rugged mountains to the north and south of it.
The road follows a fertile valley running parallel to the Kokcha river and ringed by rugged mountains to the north and south of it.
A shepherd stands next to a creek as he keeps watch on his flock of sheep in a field in the Payan Shahr valley in the province of Badakhshan. The fertile valley is fed by the Kokcha river and is ringed by rugged arid mountains to the north and south of it.
A shepherd stands next to a creek as he keeps watch on his flock of sheep in a field in the Payan Shahr valley in the province of Badakhshan. The fertile valley is fed by the Kokcha river and is ringed by rugged arid mountains to the north and south of it.

Badakhshan’s fertile valley which is fed by the Kokcha river and is ringed by rugged arid mountains to the north and south of it. Badakhshan which shares borders with Tajikistan, China and Pakistan is mostly inhabited in its majority by Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs. – Photos by AFP

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Comments (8) Closed
Pradeep
Oct 11, 2012 05:35am
As good as Swiss alpines with only white tops missing.
Recommend 0
Sardar M. Tayyab Haider Khan
Oct 11, 2012 06:06am
awesome
Recommend 0
Keshav Singh
Oct 11, 2012 01:40pm
Country of carvans, kawa , trade and tall tales. Where is it gone?
Recommend 0
abdul ahad jalalzai
Oct 11, 2012 08:16pm
afghanistan is a real beauty..
Recommend 0
Badawi
Oct 10, 2012 01:30pm
Majestic & nothing less!
Recommend 0
Vaibhav
Oct 10, 2012 02:55pm
awesome
Recommend 0
jan
Oct 10, 2012 05:25pm
your eyes are barren. afghanistan;s geography and landscape are extremely beautiful sights. afghans prefer to remain pristine. while we battle nature and consume chemicals as substitutes for the real thing and wait to die of our consumer society diseases, the afghans will continue to live alongside nature! they are a hardy race and didn't become that way living in urban civilizations!!!!
Recommend 0
guest
Oct 10, 2012 04:01pm
looks barren with no signs of development. wherever there is population and growth with booming economy and industry, there is bound to be ugliness. this type of pristine beauty is possible only if you stay in dark ages. (not to confuse with european and canadian landscapes)
Recommend 0

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