Central Afghanistan
August 2012
Afghanistan has so far been one of the wildest adventures I have ever undertaken. I prepared with everything I had for this trip, and while assembling this journey I knew this would be my most challenging component.
My first posting for this blog describes my trip to Asiatic Russia last year, where the inception for this very trip began. I saw in Russia a very unknown world, of hidden peoples that have been spread across the vast expanses of Asia because of the conquests of one great man. His name is Ghengis Khan, the leader of the Mongol horde of the 13th century.
While in Russia I discovered a people called the Kalmyk's. These people are also the descendants of Ghengis Khan, and I discovered that the legacy of this man can be found through his descendents, many of whom are scattered throughout central Asia. The same holds true for the Hazara people of central Afghanistan. The Hazaras have a distinctly asiatic look compared to the other major tribes of Afghanistan. They have been made well known through the book and film "The Kite Runner", and this book played an important role in helping shape my understanding about the tribes of Afghanistan before my arrival.
I left Kabul early in the morning and went to the Hazarajat garage an area of town populated almost exclusively by Hazaras. It is here that mini-busses, trucks and shared taxi's go to Bamiyan, the main hub of central Afghanistan. I discover upon my arrival that there is two routes to get to Bamiyan, one through Vardak province, which is shorter, but occupied by the Taliban or the other, which crosses the Salang pass and goes over the top of Vardak and through more Hazara occupied territory.
Well the decision was easy for me, the tougher task was finding others to share the Taxi with me. I managed to find a few guys after about an hour who were willing to split the cost with me to take the longer route. The interesting details about the journey are to follow, but first I need to explain slightly what prompted me to come to this part of Afghanistan.
While watching the discovery channel series "Journey's to the Ends of the Earth" by David Adams, I got to see a whole knew version of Afghanistan. David Adams is one of the few journalists to be able to make a documentary film in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. The title is the "Lost Buddha's of Afghanistan" and the link to the documentary is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI3F2pBgalk
For those of you interested.
David Adams is truly an inspiration of mine, and in part a major inspiration for this trip. He focuses mostly on the people during his films and the lesser shown side of countries so vastly misunderstood. He showed me these giant Buddha's and really does his best to understand the people in Afghanistan, including the persecuted Hazaras.
The Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslim, the main branch followed in Iran and a branch of Islam found in most countries where Islam exists. However, the doctrine of the Taliban did not recognize Shiites as being muslim, it in fact believed them to be infidels. So these people were systematically persecuted under their regime and even today in the areas occupied by Hazaras you will be hard pressed to find anyone who sympathizes with the Taliban.
Ok, so the background is there. Now back to the road trip. We head northwards towards Hazarajat and Bamiyan and about mid way through the journey my drivers phone rings, he blabs on a bit in Hazara and Dari, then he explains to me through the other guy in the back of the car that sorta speaks english that I need to lie down in the car.
I don't ask to many questions, as the guys seemed like it was rather urgent. I do as they say and we pass through a town rather quickly and after about ten minutes they say to get up and not to worry. I am then explained what has happened. They said that I, despite wearing Afghan clothes look like a Tajik, and not a Hazara. These two ethnic groups rarely travel with one another and so it would cause some suspicion among the locals in a town dominated by Pashtuns(one of the other major tribes and one that at times is more sympathetic to the Taliban). The guys explained that the Taliban had been active in the mountains of Vardak that day and had shot at a car full of Hazaras on the other route to Bamiyan. This is why the driver insisted I lie down, just in case someone was a Taliban spy and suspected that their was a foreigner in the car.
I have discovered that the Taliban has began targetting Afghans who work for foreign companies, accusing them of being sympathizers or traitors. And they roam the mountains surrounding the land of the Hazaras, trying to attack cars that bring food or supplies in from Kabul or elsewhere. So in a way despite no longer being in power they are still trying to cut off the Hazaras.
Regardless we made it to Bamiyan and I was able to view the remnants of the giant Buddhas, or what is left of them. Shortly after David Adams made his documentary, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas in an extreme fit of rage against any idols. Despite this being a historically important place, the Taliban sought to erase any memory of this other religion in their land.
The Taliban were ousted by the USA forces shortly there after.
Touring Bamiyan was a blessing, the Hazaras like their other Afghan counterparts are lovely people and I managed to meet two young Hazara men who were working for foreign companies at the Buddhas and we took photos together and embraced the experience. The one man spoke excellent english and translated to me all about the Buddhas. Of course after the experience I was invited to dine at their guest house. A guest house right in front of the Buddhas, with a man whom is the head of the Bamiyan tourist board. I also met the mayor of Bamiyan there and we sipped tea together and discussed my experience in Afghanistan. I honestly felt like a five star celebrity at this guest house and naturally I was invited to stay, once again for free. Meeting these Hazara's and hearing their stories was so special. They had all sought refuge in Iran during the Taliban times, but had returned to their beautiful valley to make business again and try and rebuild Afghanistan. But they too are worried about 2014 when the USA pulls out, as they more than most in Afghanistan know the wrath of what may come back. These Hazara men talked to me about how important it was to educate the children of Afghanistan, as it is only through this that Afghanistan will ever know a future without war. They said to me, "the USA spends so much money training our people how to fight, we know how to fight, we have been fighting for thousands of years". In many ways I agree with them, but I know there is no simple solution in this complicated land.
I obliged this hospitality and the second day visited the city of screams, a place that Ghengis Khan burned the ground during his ravaging campaigns through Afghanistan. I soaked up the peacefulness of this valley before having to head back to Kabul.
My new minders at the guest house and I crafted a strategy to avoid any altercations with the Taliban on the drive back. They suggests to break the fast at 3am just before sunrise and then depart immediately, as the Taliban will likely go to sleep until about 7 or 8am and then rise to go about their rounds in the mountains. Ramazan can be quite exhausting, especially while waging war against the USA, so we decided this was the best bet. We followed the plan, drove at full speed, I covered my face entirely in the all important Afghan scarf and we arrived in Kabul in no time.
The trip to Bamiyan was a fabulous detour and seeing the Hazara people and hearing their stories was a blessing. I can only hope and pray for the best of fortunes for them.
I sit now back in Kabul puzzling my experience once again, as I have so many times during this Afghan trip. I thought to myself, why are the Americans spending so much time on the Afghan military and not building some schools? Or creating employments for the wives of these soldiers. I believe that there needs to be military training, as someone needs to fight the Taliban. But why is there not more effort on the other fronts of society? I puzzle about this.... But I guess if I knew the answers I would not be teaching high school in Canada, I would be working for the US state department advising Hillary Clinton and President Obama.
Tomorrow will be my last day in Kabul before I fly across the country to Herat.
Stay tuned for the final chapter of Kabul and more of the exciting adventures to come here in the land of the brave.
Thank you to all those brave and kind Hazaras that made my trip to central Afghanistan so rewarding. It has to be the most educational experience I have had to date in this amazing country.
Sincerely,
William Delaney
August 2012
 |
| The smaller Buddha Niche, Bamiyan. |
Afghanistan has so far been one of the wildest adventures I have ever undertaken. I prepared with everything I had for this trip, and while assembling this journey I knew this would be my most challenging component.
 |
| Transport options to Bamiyan. I suppose aid is getting through after all. |
My first posting for this blog describes my trip to Asiatic Russia last year, where the inception for this very trip began. I saw in Russia a very unknown world, of hidden peoples that have been spread across the vast expanses of Asia because of the conquests of one great man. His name is Ghengis Khan, the leader of the Mongol horde of the 13th century.
 |
| My close friend Noor Mohammed. Helping me arrange transport to Bamiyan. |
While in Russia I discovered a people called the Kalmyk's. These people are also the descendants of Ghengis Khan, and I discovered that the legacy of this man can be found through his descendents, many of whom are scattered throughout central Asia. The same holds true for the Hazara people of central Afghanistan. The Hazaras have a distinctly asiatic look compared to the other major tribes of Afghanistan. They have been made well known through the book and film "The Kite Runner", and this book played an important role in helping shape my understanding about the tribes of Afghanistan before my arrival.
 |
| On the road to Hazarajat. |
I left Kabul early in the morning and went to the Hazarajat garage an area of town populated almost exclusively by Hazaras. It is here that mini-busses, trucks and shared taxi's go to Bamiyan, the main hub of central Afghanistan. I discover upon my arrival that there is two routes to get to Bamiyan, one through Vardak province, which is shorter, but occupied by the Taliban or the other, which crosses the Salang pass and goes over the top of Vardak and through more Hazara occupied territory.
Well the decision was easy for me, the tougher task was finding others to share the Taxi with me. I managed to find a few guys after about an hour who were willing to split the cost with me to take the longer route. The interesting details about the journey are to follow, but first I need to explain slightly what prompted me to come to this part of Afghanistan.
 |
| A great way to cool off after our close call with in the previous town. |
While watching the discovery channel series "Journey's to the Ends of the Earth" by David Adams, I got to see a whole knew version of Afghanistan. David Adams is one of the few journalists to be able to make a documentary film in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. The title is the "Lost Buddha's of Afghanistan" and the link to the documentary is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI3F2pBgalk
For those of you interested.
 |
| Following in the steps of David Adams. |
David Adams is truly an inspiration of mine, and in part a major inspiration for this trip. He focuses mostly on the people during his films and the lesser shown side of countries so vastly misunderstood. He showed me these giant Buddha's and really does his best to understand the people in Afghanistan, including the persecuted Hazaras.
The Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslim, the main branch followed in Iran and a branch of Islam found in most countries where Islam exists. However, the doctrine of the Taliban did not recognize Shiites as being muslim, it in fact believed them to be infidels. So these people were systematically persecuted under their regime and even today in the areas occupied by Hazaras you will be hard pressed to find anyone who sympathizes with the Taliban.
 |
| My new Hazara friends at the Buddhas. |
Ok, so the background is there. Now back to the road trip. We head northwards towards Hazarajat and Bamiyan and about mid way through the journey my drivers phone rings, he blabs on a bit in Hazara and Dari, then he explains to me through the other guy in the back of the car that sorta speaks english that I need to lie down in the car.
I don't ask to many questions, as the guys seemed like it was rather urgent. I do as they say and we pass through a town rather quickly and after about ten minutes they say to get up and not to worry. I am then explained what has happened. They said that I, despite wearing Afghan clothes look like a Tajik, and not a Hazara. These two ethnic groups rarely travel with one another and so it would cause some suspicion among the locals in a town dominated by Pashtuns(one of the other major tribes and one that at times is more sympathetic to the Taliban). The guys explained that the Taliban had been active in the mountains of Vardak that day and had shot at a car full of Hazaras on the other route to Bamiyan. This is why the driver insisted I lie down, just in case someone was a Taliban spy and suspected that their was a foreigner in the car.
 |
| The largest of the Bamiyan Buddha Niches. |
I have discovered that the Taliban has began targetting Afghans who work for foreign companies, accusing them of being sympathizers or traitors. And they roam the mountains surrounding the land of the Hazaras, trying to attack cars that bring food or supplies in from Kabul or elsewhere. So in a way despite no longer being in power they are still trying to cut off the Hazaras.
 |
| City of Screams. |
Regardless we made it to Bamiyan and I was able to view the remnants of the giant Buddhas, or what is left of them. Shortly after David Adams made his documentary, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas in an extreme fit of rage against any idols. Despite this being a historically important place, the Taliban sought to erase any memory of this other religion in their land.
The Taliban were ousted by the USA forces shortly there after.
 |
| Bamiyan Valley. |
Touring Bamiyan was a blessing, the Hazaras like their other Afghan counterparts are lovely people and I managed to meet two young Hazara men who were working for foreign companies at the Buddhas and we took photos together and embraced the experience. The one man spoke excellent english and translated to me all about the Buddhas. Of course after the experience I was invited to dine at their guest house. A guest house right in front of the Buddhas, with a man whom is the head of the Bamiyan tourist board. I also met the mayor of Bamiyan there and we sipped tea together and discussed my experience in Afghanistan. I honestly felt like a five star celebrity at this guest house and naturally I was invited to stay, once again for free. Meeting these Hazara's and hearing their stories was so special. They had all sought refuge in Iran during the Taliban times, but had returned to their beautiful valley to make business again and try and rebuild Afghanistan. But they too are worried about 2014 when the USA pulls out, as they more than most in Afghanistan know the wrath of what may come back. These Hazara men talked to me about how important it was to educate the children of Afghanistan, as it is only through this that Afghanistan will ever know a future without war. They said to me, "the USA spends so much money training our people how to fight, we know how to fight, we have been fighting for thousands of years". In many ways I agree with them, but I know there is no simple solution in this complicated land.
 |
| Inside the BUDDHA Niches |
I obliged this hospitality and the second day visited the city of screams, a place that Ghengis Khan burned the ground during his ravaging campaigns through Afghanistan. I soaked up the peacefulness of this valley before having to head back to Kabul.
My new minders at the guest house and I crafted a strategy to avoid any altercations with the Taliban on the drive back. They suggests to break the fast at 3am just before sunrise and then depart immediately, as the Taliban will likely go to sleep until about 7 or 8am and then rise to go about their rounds in the mountains. Ramazan can be quite exhausting, especially while waging war against the USA, so we decided this was the best bet. We followed the plan, drove at full speed, I covered my face entirely in the all important Afghan scarf and we arrived in Kabul in no time.
The trip to Bamiyan was a fabulous detour and seeing the Hazara people and hearing their stories was a blessing. I can only hope and pray for the best of fortunes for them.
I sit now back in Kabul puzzling my experience once again, as I have so many times during this Afghan trip. I thought to myself, why are the Americans spending so much time on the Afghan military and not building some schools? Or creating employments for the wives of these soldiers. I believe that there needs to be military training, as someone needs to fight the Taliban. But why is there not more effort on the other fronts of society? I puzzle about this.... But I guess if I knew the answers I would not be teaching high school in Canada, I would be working for the US state department advising Hillary Clinton and President Obama.
Tomorrow will be my last day in Kabul before I fly across the country to Herat.
Stay tuned for the final chapter of Kabul and more of the exciting adventures to come here in the land of the brave.
 |
| The Beautiful Guest House. |
Thank you to all those brave and kind Hazaras that made my trip to central Afghanistan so rewarding. It has to be the most educational experience I have had to date in this amazing country.
Sincerely,
William Delaney
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