Afghanistan All of our advertising is certified by Google and therefore may be viewed safely. Afghanistan Behind the Taliban Curtain By Damian Bird It is a very common sight in Kabul to see wives walking behind their husbands out of respect and as a sign of subservience. Old technology frequently borrows from more modern technology in Afghanistan. For example this horse and cart has the rear axle taken from a truck. Possibly a Russian truck from the 1970s occupation. Mc Donalds has not yet arrived in Afghanistan and these street cooked kebabs are the closest one can buy to fast food. Really delicious and very low fat! During the time of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan all music and dance was banned. Now, joy and freedom are expressed in dance in music clubs all over Kabul. It is interesting that this Afghan National Army soldier is wearing a Soviet star belt buckle, which has been salvaged from the era of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Everything is low-tec in Afghanistan, but this doesnt mean less fun! Young boy saying ‘hello’ in Kabul. Grandfather’s hand of protection resting on his grand daughter’s head as he speaks with the Bitish Army who are trying to help stamp out sheep rustling in a remote rural area one days drive from Mazar-i-Sharif. Doves enjoying their breakfast just outside The Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif. Children on their way to prayers at The Blue Mosque, Mazar i Sharif. Vegetables on sale in a Mazar-i-Sharif street market. Kabul. When really tired, even a small stone bench can provide a sleeping place. Balloons were banned under the Taliban and now they can be seen on sale everywhere as a symbol of freedom.  Kabul. Eleven is about the cut off point for not wearing a Burqa in Kabul. Vegetable mountain, street market, morning sun, Kabul. Street cobbler. Kabul. Murderer being brought out of his underground cell to meet me. The day before he’d entered a Mazar-i-Sharif police station on a mission to kill the Chief of Police. When he was told that the man he was after was not there he pulled out a nine inch blade and killed four police officers before being restrained. Street vendors, Kabul. Yoking the strength of the young to fetch and carry water home for domestic use. Mazar-i-Sharif. Fetching and carrying. Morning tea being savoured by a Kabul rug salesman. Under the Taliban, beards were worn uncut and a neatly trimmed beard was punishable by beating and or imprisonment. Due to the almost complete absence of refridgeration in Afghanistan, meat is slaughtered and sold the same day. Lamb to the slaughter. Mazar-i-Sharif live stock market. Wood for cooking and winter heating, Kabul. It is largely socially unacceptable for women to work in Afghanistan and when women have lost their husbands and in the absence of benefits, they are often forced to beg to survive. So often in the news, Afghanistan is seen in the context of war.  Here is a portrait of Afghanistan and her people getting on with their everyday lives in a country where tourism is virtually non-existant for obvious reasons.