16 May 2007 / 26 Saur 1386 Imagine life in Afghanistan under the Taliban, who ruled Kabul and most of the country from September 1996 to October 2001. Okay, now let me contest that vision. Yesterday I met a fellow who is specialized in information technology. We chatted for a bit, and he said that […]
A little reality-check Read More »
Sunday, 6 May 2007 / Yakshanbeh, 16 Saur 1386 From the Airport to Kabul University To this day, Kabul has no address system and there is no formal agreement on street names. However, I just realized that for the past year Kabul has had an effective address system for internet-users: it is the precision coordinates
Google Earth tour of Kabul Read More »
Saturday, 5 May 2007 / Shanbeh, 15 Saur 1386 (Hijra Solar) Where the Damage Remains This morning I pulled out of my side street and merged with the stream of bicycle traffic on the side of the main road towards the university. Then I noticed that the cyclist in front of me had crutches strapped
Hearts, minds, and dancers Read More »
I show a dual-calendar system on many of my blog posts from Kabul, but the second date is not the Islamic Lunar (After-Hijra) calendar. It is the Hijra Solar calendar, used only in Iran and Afghanistan. This calendar is an Islamic calendar because of its start date (622 AD, the year the Prophet left Mecca
The Hijra-Solar (H.S.) calendar Read More »
26 April 2007 / 6 Saur 1386 I am only writing up this day several weeks later, after I did a bit of research on it. In May of 2003 I stayed at the edge of Shir Pur while I worked at the Ministry of urban Development and Housing. My little guesthouse, “DreamLand,” was next
Shir Pur, a.k.a. “Chur Pur” Read More »
Sunday, 15 April 2007 / yakshanbeh, 26 hamal 1386 (Hijra Solar) Introduction: A Semi-Blog Many of my friends in California have asked me to keep in touch and to write about my experience of being in Kabul. Rather than set up an email list, I will post reflections on this website. Partly this is so
Coming Back to Kabul Read More »
Today Samiullah brought me and his cousins to Paghman, an area just west of Kabul. It is the favorite Friday-picnic spot for Kabulis, so we shared the mountain site with about ten thousand fellow citizens. As we headed west through Kabul we passed through the Kota-e Sangi commercial district, which is dominated by Hazaras. This
Karte Sakhi is adjacent to Kabul University. As with Deh Mazang, and most of Kabul, it is a vast (re)construction site. The houses look neoclassical–not in the European sense, but as if ancient Mediterraneans were building their houses with materials available today. I like the new warm color palette, compared to the popular 1970s Kabul-green.
Construction in Kart-e Sakhi Read More »