Afghanistan’s Unique Roof-Mounted Vehicle Cooling Units
Because car AC units break down too often and repairs are too expensive, Afghan taxi drivers often turn to handmade roof-mounted rudimentary cooling units. Driving through Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, you’re likely to see taxis with large rectangular boxes mounted on the roof and large tubes extending from them and into the cabin, through a […]
Taliban Unveil Afghanistan’s First Ever Supercar, the Mada 9
The Taliban-led Government of Afghanistan recently unveiled the country’s first-ever indigenously built supercar, named Mada 9. On the list of things you were expecting from the Taliban, unveiling a supercar prototype probably ranked pretty low, but here we are. Reportedly developed by a team of at least 30 engineers from a company called ENTOP and […]
Residents of Afghanistan’s ‘One Kidney Village’ Sell Their Organs to Survive
Shenshayba Bazaar, an Afghan village near the city of Herat, has become known as Afghanistan’s ‘one kidney village’, because of the large number of residents who have sold one of their kidneys in order to make ends meet. Afghanistan wasn’t doing too well economically before the Taliban came to power last year, but the brutal […]
Gangina – The Afghan Way of Keeping Grapes Fresh For Up to Six Months
Gangina is a traditional means of keeping grapes and other fruits fresh for several months, by sealing them in air-tight containers made of wet soil. Grapes are tricky to keep fresh for long periods of time, even when refrigeration is available, but apparently Afghans have long been using an ancient method of keeping the soft […]
The Strange Story of an Afghan Toddler Named Donald Trump
When Sayed Asadullah Poya, a 28-year-old teacher from Kabul, Afghanistan, decided to name his son ‘Donald Trump’, he hoped it would bring him good fortune. So far, it has only made life a lot harder for the whole family, and the future doesn’t look too bright. Sayed’s wife, Jamila, gave birth to their son in […]
Afghan Teacher Turns His Bicycle into a Mobile Library to Give Isolated Children a Chance to Read
In a nation ravaged by war, where children have little to no access to quality literature, a school teacher is trying his best to make a difference. Saber Hosseini, who teaches children in the city of Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, has converted his bicycle into a mobile library which he rides to remote villages. “I came […]
Bacha Posh – The Cross-Dressing Girls of Afghanistan
Cross-dressing in most societies is something that most people aren’t comfortable with. But then there are places where the practice is accepted as a way for families to raise their social standing. One such place is Afghanistan, where women live such highly restricted lives that they resort to dressing like men. The cross-dressing is mainly […]