Status Updates From The Places in Between

The destruction of the Bammiyan (?) Buddhas was a shocking act of vandalism - but can’t help but be impressed by the stoic responses from the Hazarat men Stewart speaks to about it. ‘We have more important things to worry about’…

The lack of genuine understanding of Afghanistan and its people is not what is shocking to me. Afghanistan and its cultures are really quite alien to Western minds. But what is shocking is the lack of respect for the cultures shown by the West on its many incursions there. No liberal democracy will ever work there without that understanding.

We are in very different territory now. Stewart describes the various villages, with their sometimes taciturn, sometimes welcoming head men with clarity but keeping the emphasis on the momentum of the journey so we are never slowed too long. Find myself cheering the dog on every step.

Excited to find that Stewart found the Minaret of Jam - been interested in that for 20 years now. But there seems little hope that the site will be protected from pillagers, looking for easy money. His anger is clear but it seems arrogant to suggest that Afghan people can’t do what they want with their history. Still, a terrible shame.

Another slightly unnerving episode with another warlord. The veil of hospitality feels thin. Babur the dog is a great addition to the adventure.

Got a bit bogged down in the (no question, fascinating) history of the Ghors but the description of the two domes and arch set against the mountains set my imagination alight.

Things turn quickly. One mullah decides you’re a spy and the whole atmosphere changes. That was quite a frightening episode.

There is not the same notion of ‘government’ in Afghanistan. Stewart writes of old men in villages who pay no tax and get nothing from the state. Hard for us soft Westerners to comprehend… The old man described in this chapter was the definition of stoic. Silent, watchful, courteous. Almost alien to us in 21st century UK.

Qasim’s a character. Learned loads about men and status in Afghan culture. There is a quiet humour in Stewart’s writing which could be seen as patronising although, as he says, he is aiming to merely portray what he sees honestly without too much narrative intervention. Some beautiful passages of description - brief but beautiful.