Word: kabul
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Sure, there is the occasional suicide bomb attack, but Kabul has long been synonymous with risk. And though Afghanistan's bustling capital still molders under the detritus of nearly 30 years of war, its historic attractions are now easier to enjoy, thanks to a plucky new travel company called Great Game, greatgametravel.com. Its mission is to give visitors a taste of the people and culture that made this city a vital crossroads of Asia and Europe for more than 5,000 years. "Even the foreigners who have lived here for years have no idea what Kabul is," says Jamshid Rahimi...
...with the region as backpackers in the late 1990s, have developed a daylong itinerary that encompasses the city's 5th century foundations, its role as a Silk Road caravansary, its 16th century revival under the great Mughal Emperor Babur and its recent troubles. Encircled by the snowcapped Hindu Kush, Kabul is a small city, with its history compressed. As a result, Buddhist stupas are hidden in Muslim graveyards, and elaborate Afghan façades can be glimpsed between Soviet-style apartment blocks...
...tour starts at the hilltop mausoleum of the father of former Afghan King Zahir Shah. Kabul's neighborhoods, both modern and ancient, unfurl in all directions, and Rahimi points at landmarks to illustrate his narrative. Gesturing to the majestic ruins of the 5th century Bala Hissar citadel and the crumbling city wall, he describes the successive waves of invaders that sought to make Kabul their own. Shafiqullah Zarif, Great Game's chief security officer, who also doubles as a guide, picks up the tale with the Soviet invasion and the subsequent civil war. As the local Red Cross security chief...
...playing atop the banks dividing their rice paddies. Even Afghanistan has been touched by the contagion: Since the fall of the Taliban in 2002, thousands of returning Afghan refugees who fell in love with the game during their years in Pakistan now play on the rock-hard fields around Kabul...
...explains, comprise about 95% of the Taliban force. "They very much want to join the government, provided that they have security and opportunities for work," he says. But it would help if government subsidies came their way. Says Meerza: "There is still a great distance from here to Kabul... There is very little incentive from the government to cooperate." He says Pakistanis are offering $1,000 stipends to commanders who join the Taliban, that he's been approached himself. And the Kabul government's counter-offer to work against the Taliban? $10. "There's no incentive," he says repeatedly...