16 February 13, 2022The Sunday Times
Travel Our Story
million people have lost or
been pushed out of their jobs
since the Taliban takeover.
It is not only a lack of
income that worries tourism
workers still in Afghanistan,
though. “Taliban members
believe that foreigners and
whoever worked with
foreigners are infidels, and
they want to kill them,” says
Bashir, 32, who was a tour
guide and general manager
of a guesthouse.
Bashir was in hiding at a
friend’s house when he spoke
to me shortly after the Taliban
takeover, having received
threats from the group. Now
he is in Pakistan, awaiting
documents to move abroad
along with his family. He said
that a few months ago the
Taliban tortured him in a
prison before letting him go.WHAT NOW FOR
M
ohammed
spent more
than 12 years
guiding tourists
through the
Wakhan Corridor, a remote
strip of mountainous land
that is part of a national park
in Badakhshan province,
northeast Afghanistan. He
regularly led ascents of
Noshaq, the country’s highest
peak, trekking 7,492m
(24,580ft) to the top and back
to the valley in 17 days. He
loved showing visitors the
snow-capped mountains,
roamed by snow leopards,
brown bears and lynx.
Mohammed has worked as
a mountaineering guide for
international travel agencies
and also started his own. He
loved meeting people. “There
were lots of different
experiences and cultures
coming together,” he says.
Tourism in Afghanistan
peaked in the 1970s, with
visitor numbers reaching
about 90,000 a year, before it
was invaded by the Soviet
Union in 1979. Many of those
travellers were hippies on the
overland trail, searching for
enlightenment and hashish,
but they and others were also
drawn to the pristine scenery
and warm hospitality.
Tourism plummeted againafter the Taliban took power in
1996, but since the late 2000s
it had been slowly growing,
with the help of a small group
of tour operators and guides
such as Mohammed who
were determined to counter
the images of conflict and
poverty associated with
their country. Instead
they wanted to show
travellers its rich cultural
history and natural
beauty, such as the
deep blue lakes of
Band-e Amir, in the
foothills of the
Hindu Kush.
James Willcox,
co-founder of
Untamed Borders,
a British adventure
travel company that
employed eight
Afghan tour guides,The country is in turmoil — and those who have
helped visitors are in danger, says Jessie Williams
says that a growing number of
people are interested in visiting
less typical destinations such
as Afghanistan. “However, the
security situation was always
worse every year,” he says.
When the Taliban took
control again in August
last year Mohammed lost
his only source of income.
He’s not alone. “More than
100 people were making
a living from tourism,
including drivers,
guides, cooks and
guesthouse staff,”
he says from Kabul.
He is trying to
find other work to
support his family,
but it is no easy
task when the
economy has
almost collapsed;
more than half armined to counter
s of conflict and
sociated with
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He’s not alone. “
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more thanTOUR GUIDES?
AFGHANISTAN’S