Travel Tips

This is the most disputed mausoleum in the Muslim world, Shiite sect of Bamiyan district and rest of Afghanistan believe that Imam Ali, the most important person after Holy prophet Muhammad in Islam, first cousin and son in law of holy prophet Muhammad, is buried here in this mausoleum of Mazar Sharif but the Shiite community in Iran, Iraq and some area of Pakistan strongly disagree with this notion and consider that he is buried in Najaf, Iraq but the majority in the rest of Muslim countries believe that no one exactly knows where he is buried.

The mosque is in the same compound where apparent mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Ali stands is the most visited place among the various muslim sects in Afghanistan. However during the last decade while Taliban were in charge of country, they locked the mosque considering that visitors are flouting toheed (monotheism) while they turn their faces towards the mausoleum for entreaty instead of God. For your info, Taliban were enormously financed by Saudi Arabian monarchs and they have there own new term of Islam called “wahabism” who is against all sort of referred veneration instead of directly to Allah, so Shiites and Sunis were thwarted to worship according to their wishes in this mosque.

I just entered in Afghanistan. This picture is taken at Torkhum border in between Pakistan – Afghanistan, this border was drawn by a Britisher and now given the his name as Deorend Line, deviding the two countries. However Afghans still do not accept and say it a huge cheating by colonials by grabbing their hundreds of miles and handing over to Indo-Pak, but Pakistan never seems ready to talk or solve the matter.

The woman was negotiating to buy something at city centre but she was only wearing scarf, I asked my companion to talk to her on my behalf, that I m willing to take her photograph, as it was a huge surprise that how hurriedly the scarves have taken place of veils in Afghanistan. She initially turned down but than agreed after talk but shocked me even more when she took out her veil from her bag and quickly wrapped up and than allowed us.

This was one of the most busiest place in Kabul known as “Ameer Taimoor Leng Bazar” there are lots of places to stay at right side of road, but the condition of all such hotels were so much bad but the prices were unbelievably high.

This is a far view of the mausoleum of Ameer Taimoor Leng, who was an invader in Afghanistan from Bukhara. His name was Taimoor, Ameer and Leng are Pushto and Persian words:
Ameer = king
Leng = limp
No one knew until his death that he was a limped, becuz he used to sit on the horse directly from his bed when going to start the morning and jumped back to bed back in his tent after finishing. He led the country in nomadic way but in the later years he shifted his capital from Bukhara to Kabul.

Afghanistan is still massively filled with the scrap left by the soviets in the 10 years war. on my way from Jalal-a-bad to Kabul I’ve seen almost1000s of broken helicopters, tanks, canons, antiaircraft launchers and empty missile shells spread here n there around the road. This pic was in the area of Koh-e-sofaid in the province of Verman.

During the city visit, I was accompanied by a young guy (in yellow jacket) named Firdous Khan from Afghan Ariana Airline, who could understand little bit of English, however I can speak some local languages including Pushto but since the fall of Taliban, Kabul is fully controlled by Persian speaking northern alliance. This is the street of one popular Kabul’s area “Wazir Akber Khan”.