19 Sep 2011 | no comments » people
The Shrine of Hazrat Ali, the Fourth Caliph of Islam is home to thousands of white pigeons considered to be sacred. The spot is said to be so holy if a gray pigeon should join the flock it will become white in 40 days. Feeding these birds brings good fortune. Afghan families are traveling from different part of the country to go to the Shrine of Hazrat Ali for pilgrimage. This photos is a Grand Prize Winner and was selected as one of the best photographs among other photos in a photo contest called “Why Afghanistan Matters” organized by NATO.
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10 Sep 2011 | no comments » Children
Afghanistan is the worst country for a child to be born in, according to the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees. Three decades of ongoing conflict have left tens of thousands of children orphaned on the street. The challenges are daunting, especially for children and women. Even though political and economic uncertainty and personal and community insecurity still exist in much of Afghanistan. 1 in 4 children die before reaching their 5th birthday. Only 50% of all Afghan children between the ages of 7 and 13 attend school. Click Image to Enlarge.
03 Sep 2011 | no comments » people
In central part of Afghanistan, mainly in high lands, you could find people who are facially very close to people in Mongolia. These type people in Afghanistan are called Hazara, according to scholars the term was first used by Mongol military unite of 1,000. Scholars still have debate that how the word Hazara was chosen for a 1,000 unite by Genghis Khan who had never spoken in Farsi/Dari. The word “Hazara” means “thousand” and it’s derived from “Hazar.” According to Afghan historians and some outside resources, Hazaras have been living even before the Mongol invasion in 13th century. Some of them also refer to some historical facts like the Buddha statues in Bamiyan which were blown up by the Taliban in March 2001. Some Afghan historians say that because of some archaic Mongol words used in Hazaragi (a form of Farsi/Dari dialect) some Hazaras may have been Genghis Khan’s soldiers. Historians also add that in any case once Hazaras have been the rulers of Afghanistan. Anyhow, this article on the National Geographic gives a brief and informative definition of Hazara in Afghanistan. About the picture: I took this picture in the winter of 2008, in Daikundi province while a friend and I were making a documentary. Click Image to Enlarge.
16 Jul 2011 | 1 comment » daikundi
Education is a source of social and economic advancement as well as a vehicle for teaching children to be good citizens. She is a young girl in district of Sharestan (Shahrestan), province of Daikundi, who never had opportunity to go to school. For the last years, billions of dollars poured in Afghanistan but life in Hazarajat central part of Afghanistan never improved. Hazaras as a minority group are almost forgotten. Estimates suggest that 30% of Afghan children are engaged in child labor, and discriminatory traditional practices make girls more vulnerable.
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26 May 2011 | no comments » people
Despite being severely hampered by the central government, now Behsud residents face another major problem which could turn into an inter-tribal skirmish. Behsud is one of the most peaceful parts of Afghanistan but every year at this time, the nomads whom are ethnically Pashtun bring their flocks for grazing in the green pastures owned by Hazaras. For the past years the clashes left dozens of Hazaras dead, thousands displaced, thousands of Hazara houses were burned and looted. This year this story is happening again.
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