| Afghanistan
Village Scenes |
Afghanistan |
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The following text is courtesy of The Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha. The editorial opinions expressed in these pieces are not necessarily those of the webmaster(s).
Image 1: Istalif
Istalif lies north of Kabul
in the Koh Daman, a valley ringed by barren hills dotted with villages
nestled within green orchards. It is one of the largest, most ancient and
loveliest of them all. Istalif is famous for its green and blue pottery
and its picturesque bazar. A visitor to this place combines beautiful scenery
with an introduction to Afghan Village life.
Image 2: Helmund river
The Helmund River in southwestern
Afghanistan and eastern Iran, about 715 miles (1,150 km) long. Rising in
the Range in east-central Afghanistan, it flows southwestward across more
than half the length of Afghanistan before flowing northward for a short
distance through Iranian territory and emptying into the Helmand
swamps on the Afghan-Iranian border. It receives several tributaries, including
the Arghandab and Tarnak, and drains more than 100,000 square miles (160,000
square km).
The Helmand is one of Afghanistan's most important rivers and has been extensively developed under the Helmand Valley Authority. A reservoir has been built at Kajak, 50 miles (80 km) above Gereshk, for irrigation and flood control, and just above the same town a dam diverts water to a canal. Below the reservoir much of the river's length is tapped for irrigation, and a fertile, populous belt follows its course. A long-standing dispute between Afghanistan and Iran has centred on Iran's claim to a portion of the Helmand's waters.
Images 3 & 4: Nuristân
The region called Nuristân
is one in a chain of ethnic refuge areas that line the mountains of the
Indian Plate collision zone from Afghânistân to Southeast Asia.
Nuristân lies in the Hindu Kush mountains of northeastern Afghânistân,
spanning the basins of the Alingâr, Pech, Landai Sin, and Kunar rivers.
It is the homeland of a unique group of Indo-European-speaking tribal peoples,
now called Nuristânis, who fled and resisted Islâm as it spread
eastward. In 1895-96 the Nuristânis were finally conquered by the
Afghân armies of Âmir Abdur Rahmân Khân, and the
people were obliged to abandon their ancient religious beliefs in favor
of Islâm.
Nuristânis are today
such devout Muslims that they were the first citizens of Afghânistân
to successfully revolt against the communist overthrow of their government
in 1978. Their success inspired others throughout the country to rise up
and bleed the Soviet Union to death through thirteen years of war. The
straw that broke the Soviet Union's back sprouted in Nuristân, and
we must acknowledge the pivotal historical role that the Nuristânis
played in nurturing the seed.
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Images copyright 2001 The Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha. Used with permission. |