Mazar-e-Shareef

Mazar-e-Shareef or MES is in northern Afghanistan. Generally, the folks who live around MES are Uzbek or Tajik. Contrary to what many believe, Afghans are NOT Arabs. Many are of a Turkic and/or Arayan stock. It is not unusual to see Afghans that look like people back from home. And true to the fact that Afghanistan was the cross road of the Ancient silk route, there are many different cultures represented here. There are ancient Greek settlements, people of a more Persian influence and of course there are the Pashtuns. The Pashtuns are the majority ethnic group here in Afghanistan and they generally occupy the territory south of the Hindu Kush Mountain range. Another minority, is the Hazaras, who live in the Hindu Kush Mountains. The famous standing Buddhas of Bamian is their heartland. In Persian, "Hazara" means one thousand and the term Hazara was also utilized as the name for a regimental sized unit in the Mongol army. Indeed, the Hazara are the direct descendants of the Great Khan and they were named after the regimental sized occupation troops Khan left behind.

The dominant religion is of course Islam, with most being of the Sunni faith. The Hazaras and small smaller groups are Shiite. While Islam is a guiding beacon for every aspect of life, Afghan Islam has been adapted to the unique challenges and needs of everyday life in Afghanistan. To a certain extent, there is a blending of faith and survival. The most prominent example would be the blending of the Pashtunwali Code of ethics and Islam. The code is the way of life for the Pashtun culture, but make no mistake, Islam is the guiding light.

Taken from the airfield in MES, these two unimpressive pictures mark a fairly important geological barrier in Afghanistan. Above is a shot looking south, at the northern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountain range. The below photo is looking north, towards the steppes of central Asia. In my time here in Afghanistan, this is the only time I have seen flat terrain.