Afghanistan

Afghanistan sits at the intersection of every major civilisation that moved through Asia - Greek, Persian, Buddhist, Mongol, Mughal - and the evidence is everywhere, in the Buddhas that were at Bamiyan, in the minarets of Herat, in the Kokcha River valley where lapis lazuli has been mined for six thousand years. The country's recent history is known; what is less known is the scale of what existed here before and what continues to exist - a culture of hospitality, poetry, music and craftsmanship that has survived everything that has been visited upon it.

Travel advisory Afghanistan is not currently safe for independent travel. Check current conditions before planning travel.

Our guide is being written from the ground up, with the time this place deserves.

We are still gathering the notes that make a guide worth keeping - and waiting, with respect for what this place is, for the moment when keeping them becomes something we can share.