Afghanistan

Chilzina and the Forty Steps of Kandahar

Rock-cut chamber at top of an outcroup, reached by a mountain stairway of forty steps

Sometimes, simplicity speaks volumes. A short tower can seem imposing on a featureless plain. A tiny word can say a lot if it's on a blank wall. And 40 simple steps can tell a complex story of... »

Curious Caves, Unusual Monuments, Subterranean Sites | Edited by Tawsam, Mark_Casey and others

Bamian, Afghanistan

Site of the Bamiyan Buddhas

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures

Few man-made destructions of cultural heritage have been blatant as the bombing of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001. Prior to the destruction, the Giant Buddhas had already been worn... »

Lost Tribes, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins, Giant Buddhas | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Takht-e Rostman, Afghanistan

Stupa of Takht-e Rostam

Highly unusual subterranean stupa and adjacent cave monastery

There are places in the world so strongly devoted to a particular religion that it is incredibly hard to believe that they have been shaped by any other faith. Afghanistan is one of those places,... »

Unusual Monuments, Cultures and Civilizations , Lost Tribes, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins, Subterranean Sites | Edited by Tawsam and Rachel

Rud-e Jam, Afghanistan

Minaret of Jam

200-foot-high minaret and only remnant of Afghanistan's lost city of the Turquoise Mountain

For the last three decades, almost constant conflict has colored the world's perceptions of Afghanistan, and an inhospitable climate and frightening political instability have left Afghanistan on... »

Incredible Ruins | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

Herat, Afghanistan

Jihad Museum

Museum dedicated to overthrowing the Soviets, complete with diorama of Soviets being beaten to death with shovels

Ismail Khan, a politician and former Mujahideen fighter spent vast amounts of his own fortune to create the Jihad Museum. Khan, along with many others in Herat, the city where the Soviets were... »

Museums and Collections | Edited by atimian and Dylan

Kabul, Afghanistan

Skateistan

Afghanistan's first skatepark, located in war torn Kabul

At first glance, Afghanistan, occupied by U.S. forces since 2001, does not seem like a good place for a sport largely associated with American teenagers. But when Australian skateboarders Oliver... »

Architectural Oddities | Edited by PaperTiger and Nicholas Jackson