Afghanistan: The Unknown Country (Full Documentary) | TRACKS

this is a country that's known war for 30 years that may be how you know Afghanistan I've been coming here for much of that time to everyone who matters seems to have gone through Emperor's explorers conquerors adjust the curious this is something about this country and its people that captures the imagination and interest I always say no one comes to Afghanistan once I'm on a journey through a land are going to love a place that continues to amaze you never know [Music] will they come age that you're involved in the drug stream the allege that you're the main power broker even allege that you support the Taliban [Music] yeah I'm going in the journey to take you beyond the headlines [Music] [Music] my journey begins in the far north of Afghanistan bustling city of mazar-e-sharif [Music] it's the day before the first day of spring the first day of the new year cow Moos against travel from across the country to be here to celebrate this ancient Persian tradition Taliban band no rooms of Islamic but it's a very Afghan time one of their most best holidays security is tight you're not worried about security [Music] they're everywhere police asked about a pushes him more Amanda I'm sorry Starr was the co-star am a selenium equipo de monterrey you have to admire their courage people bringing their families here driving for hours to reach Masada Chevy they know about the threats they see the security but they lived in a country which has been at war for some thirty years so they get used to it and they get on with life they want it to change but they're not gonna let it get in the way of a good celebration [Music] and what better way to celebrate the new year with one of the machines they have to grab it Gallup free of everyone else I found myself sitting next to Barbara new design a young economist like it so much it's pretty unique sports busca she's traditional game of afghanistan and mostly in this region especially in the north people are Mikes the horses riding the horses that's the reason that they like so and I get so much whiskas she used to the hundreds of riders no cheese nor the demons [Music] still call it balloons wildest game for women Western women are given the status of special guests you know I came to the frisbee sushi game right to this very place more than 20 years ago when the Communists were moving Afghanistan do you think it's changed the games of changing and it's the same game has changed [Music] today's teams are sponsored by business [Music] no they didn't it's Rajan it didn't go all the way to the end of the field [Music] the disputes raged one team declared a boycott I decided it was time for me to go to [Music] New Year's Day dawn turned out just look at all the crowds that have come here they've been queuing up since early this morning everyone who wants to be at the shrine for this greatest of days in the Afghan calendar a lot of people a lot of security and a lot of anticipation masada Sharif means noble shrine and this is it in this Muslim nation the day begins the exquisite blue tiled shrine of Hazrat Ali the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law who's believed to be buried here in this sacred place a place where the faithful believe prayers are answered and on our ooze wishes are made [Music] [Music] even at that young age they hope for good for their people to get to the country now do some bollocks happy new year scans across the country are watching this this is the moment the raising of the janitor the Islamic banner Carol's the start of a new year but it's much more than that legend has it if this banner is raised in one smooth hole no wonder they put it in the hands of the strongest man it does feel the excitement here and the anticipation and relief when the chunda went up in one smooth motion in a country where good news is rare Afghans can be forgiven people the jaundice is an omen for the new year and looking for the crowd is full of Duns and the papers cascading wishing everyone a Happy New Year an extraordinary [Music] there's such an open feeling in mazar-e-sharif it's the wide avenues with the open shops you see more women on the streets here the sense that it's safe to stroll on a warm spring day good security it's a good city for young people like you what everyone really no fighting no explosion I've always loved carpet shopping even if I'm just looking who buys this one the tourist napkins tell many of their stories in the carpets that they need these are the carpet savvy that were woven during the decade-long Soviet occupation of their country millions of Afghans were forced out of the country and suddenly instead of flowers and birds and vases and lovely intricate designs being woven into the carpets you had the Kalashnikov rifles the tanks the grenades you know a country look covered with military vehicles and suddenly this became the story of Afghanistan woven right into their carpets it's a story still glorified by those whose own history is woven through it like general Altima Hamid nor in the 80s he was one of the Mujahideen who waged jihad until the Soviet army was forced to retreat he's still fighting at 6:00 a.m. this is how governor otter starts the day here's more practice sport [Music] this todo 22 years old fighting coins India's success how life has changed most Afghans would find a lot of this unbelievable chosen profession a nominee posters everywhere it's more more more posters of you than President Karzai's oh no wonder the president is weary of the ambitious man they call king of the north for now governor otter is trying to transform this city into a modern hub there's even a theme park and an underground shopping center I came here in the it was just a hole in the ground the governor says he wants to build the Dubai of Afghanistan let's let's see what it looks like were you really thinking of Dubai you wanna shower which miracle many here to support their governor but some say he's using his power to get rich then he does business like a warlord even though he looks like a CEO you showed us your city and you wanted he seen it as a builder a governor a lot of people still call you a war north belly was very much upon us very odd dallona's the cacique as Germany that's been Megillah of the view economy what is that about Murasaki how chef have to ensure a lot about learning on a path resemble science and good data ho hoo ha Muji Lincoln I wouldn't care but I also do at times as Vidan a boss receive eternal but economist off anyways I am noxious another solution an American delegation is waiting or often than not they're turning to man they call Kendu warlords to get the job done Afghans want to reach for something new and better but the path to a brighter future is being made by people from a darker past and so to the west to a city where centuries of history have left their mark I've always loved coming to Herat they call it Afghanistan's cultural capital minarets from the 15th century almost formed a gateway to this ancient city it lies along centuries-old trade routes at the crossroads of the Middle East and Asia at moments can almost feel I'm in Iran with all the Persian influences you see it in the stonework on this Lane of booksellers and you also see it in the style the latest from Tehran many herati women wear Iranian Chad Wars why are you wearing this red wire and not to the work do you do you wear burkha as well do wear but there's so much the women can't control some told me in his purse they prefer the kind of coat I wearing their husbands would let them and yet for all of that there is some light in the darkness look at the sparkle and Afghan women's lives but there's no way they can wear that in public this is for the private world for their husbands for their families this is what they wear to Afghan man weddings when they're just with mainly with the women get your glamour don't think that their lives are just drive and black in Iran you often see you work no more so than at the ancient citadel virata's home to some of the greatest jewels of Afghan history it's hoping to be given the status of a world heritage site and this is the centerpiece it was in danger of crumbling into the ground but archaeologists like that city working to save it such an important part of Afghanistan's heritage why is it for you so important to preserve the citadel the citadel was originally erected by Alexander the Great so the kerr of that aleksandr decayed to sit at a still hair on the foundation so that was why very important for everyone it's been literally a battle field the soviets when they occupied Afghanistan they use it as a an ammunition dump when you found it to restore it must've been in ruins exactly in very bad condition there is a lot of destruction Raven and given ammunition battles raged through the centuries from these ramparts Genghis Khan laded to waste but a modern battle rage is now in the shadow of the Citadel's ancient walls developers are trying to conquer what's left of the crumbling old town and in places they're winning this is my houses what happened here so see there is a mega destruction here many houses destroyed and they they are going to build a new concrete market here inside market when you see this gaping hole it's really painful for me this is very important archaeology here and they decide but it parked zip hey rot are dying others full of life of course in this traditional Lucian society this isn't a place of nightclubs in this cultural cabbage I found another kind of nightlife it's poetry night Afghans have written and recited their stories in verse for hundreds of years compensable person language traditional karate music magnifies the mood [Music] it's a rare treat to be where Afghan women take the stage as equals and speak what's in their heart [Music] [Music] there's a give you behind the freedom to be able to express yourself in your poetry maybe no camera in this moment is somehow possible but the future across this oldest of Afghan cities I found the oldest of human desires to rise above daily cares to seek what's beautiful and sweet to celebrate what it means to be Afghan but that's harder in other places [Music] and one of the hardest places is the most contested Kandahar in the south but the road is too dangerous the only way I could get there was by air [Music] I was heading there with anticipation and apprehension in recent years I was told it was just too dangerous to visit [Music] despite tens of thousands of foreign troops there but to understand Afghanistan you have to go to Kandahar Parkland of the nation's biggest tribe the Pashtuns birthplace of the Taliban so our moves were carefully planned any foreigner comes to Kandahar they say well who's waiting for you you have to have someone waiting before you here the cities the city is just too dangerous who's waiting for us well armoured vehicles belonging to the man they regard as well the main power broker the king of Kandahar now I'm in wali karzai he's the half-brother of President Karzai [Music] I've known his family for years his people are looking after us you never know what a day in Kandahar will bring when the Communists were in power I still met their Mujahideen enemies right in the centre of this city when I came to Amman wali karzai is wedding here a gunman opened fire on the president now the government says it's in charge the Taliban are still here Kandahar fields yes foreigners don't usually walk the streets it's just too dangerous but with local guards watching my back it was worth the risk to talk to Afghans about their city when you're on the streets do you feel safe you want me to put away that around me that I prefer I may be at the provide fodder I know the jungle but generally was your assembly but was gonna need some we want to save our self or our country or our people by our own hinge if you cut our hands we cannot save the country scared of both the discriminatory well everyone you talk to says it's too dangerous on the streets of Kandahar they are they're fearful and we also have this rule you shouldn't be anywhere longer than 15 or 20 minutes so we're also going to need this neighborhood to so we took refuge in an unexpected place Kandahar is home to dozens of bodybuilding gyms it's popular all over the country this one belongs to one of the country's most famous bodybuilders Muhammad Ghul alive when you make yourself strong making yourself strong as an Afghanistan is proud of you as well the gym is plastered with pictures of Muhammad in his prime not only did he win the mr. Kandahar title is also mr. Afghanistan although showing off your muscles wasn't so easy in Taliban set the rules and Tony Bond is our dentist was and upper bodies yeah and not in underwear you could wear what you're wearing yeah the upper body I know they liked bodybuilding wrestling book people that are powerful sports but I wondered what they'd make of the poster boy for Afghan bodybuilders the American action star turned politician Jim he'll see Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime which is a few decades ago beaming down at you with of course his body exposed Arnold my hope that myself I try to do the same like or north and you watch me make my body feet and I want to show my bar to the world that I've learned I need to come to fish at the world but even here I couldn't stay for long on the streets outside unpredictable Kandahar had struck again I found myself in the midst of a military operation u.s. soldiers nervously scanned the streets traffic was blocked tension mounted what actually why is the older traffic block what happened today on your vehicle security yeah you worried about it well yeah we don't want a bunch all this convenient and something like this happens look at nervous the Afghans are nervous the foreign forces are nervous this is the kind of town where assassinations happens suicide bombers I mean you've got this kind of a target here for too long she's a real risk for yourself and for the Afghans here not everyone is complaining about the US presence here some Afghans with connections and contracts springing up to cater for the influx of foreign contractors and troops billions are being spent to fight the Taliban and win the war for Afghan hunts and mines it's life in this bubble American movie and Jenna movie everything would you like like one now I like or no Wanda this movie too much I see all this oh yeah yeah I've learned more here than I did at school in the UK I did working in the UK I've met all these great people from all around the world it's better to be than anything good life is good if you're a contractor making money behind the barriers for now it's a boomtown [Music] we met the safety of the American bubble to go into another one and the men keeping an eye on us here [Music] just over the security as we enter the compound of amid wali karzai concrete barriers Hesco barriers men this is a man a lot of enemies just out full it is packed with people it's like this every day they come from all across the province and beyond there he is now we're talking to people connections to get any job done wood and in the room with him Taliban and the people in the middle they were working as a day laborer which is the coalition the Americans are paying them salary so they were going to go to the work in the morning and the Taliban stopped them to make example of them but I was wrong oh Allah damn or Bihari sheikh ravil Aradhana Chicago much mister over navara Priya Krishna Markham seldom mother Sarah Walker in two weeks this happened two weeks ago two weeks ago yeah the earlier were cut off shocking sadly all too polite here hamid Wally invited me to lunch for a chance to catch up but you must have threats against you it's the most heavily secured place in Kandahar I think this is far room for the big attacks public suicide attacks as you know there was two major suicide attacks on me on my office but there's still threats against you now everybody do its Taliban or the target of many accusations some call him the problem in Kandahar not the solution from the media why cuz you come under so many accusations that you have to respond to all the time well mostly unproven allegation which was making things bad the drugs trade the ellipse that you're the main power broker even allege that you support the Taliban yeah but you know they say with no smoke without fire there's an old Afghan proverb that says whoever controls Kandahar controls Afghanistan no one ever seems to win for long today it's safe enough for traditional wrestling but only just moments like this from little victories that's how life is measured here with no real certainty about who in the end [Music] until now this trip has taken me to Afghanistan's great cities but leaving Kandahar I headed to the center to a village called Pike hotel [Music] eighty percent of Afghans live in rural areas like this eking out a meager existence [Music] the further you get from the city center the hubs this is what it's like you feel like you're going back in time there are no roads the houses are mud brick people pretty well live like they've always lived there's no electricity there's no running water after several hours of driving the car could go no further on this road if I wanted to travel as most Afghans do I would need some donkeys and of course guide we were soon on our way despite a hesitant start going the right way [Music] I have a really good sense of direction though I mean they're not so good when we left they said it was about 40 minutes riding on donkeys what do you minutes later they said Wow another hour and then an hour later it was Sato name setting him another hour and a half finally after five hours but we used was swept away by the warmth of a traditional welcome poses its how big your heart is haiku towel nestling in the foothills of the cuy Barbour mountains is home to around 70 families they don't have much the nearest school and clinic are hours away on foot young men have to leave to find paid labor this is what life under the poverty line looks like hemangioma do Mississauga Reba goodness no the source in Medora Jeremy Shockey I mean memory supported by neck area bruiser young made or actual work to clear Oberoi's Juncker will move for the Gaggenau as mine Maria Tainan they say even the bread isn't good here they would love to have bread made of wheat instead it's made of barley life expectancy in Afghanistan is around 45 years around half the children if a malnourished it's hard to fathom how they endure such grueling lives [Music] it's easier to talk when we gather is women at moments like this you feel a shared humanity no matter how different our lives but I'm leaving this village they will stay in lives that are for the most part determined [Music] Heiko tal will never make the news but our next stop has Bamiyan for nearly two thousand years pilgrims and poets flocked here to marvel at two stone Buddha's hewn from the mountainside they were carved when Bamiyan was an important Centre for Buddhism hundreds of years before the birth of Islam then in 2001 the Taliban condemned them as idols and affront to Islam Afghans lost one of their most precious relics so did the world but now the people of Bamiyan want the world to come back to visit it's absolutely fantastic that they actually have a tourism office here in Bamiyan I think it's the only one in Afghanistan's in see we're gonna pull all these back alleys to try to find them tourist office the roads aren't so good [Music] once I found the office there was another surprise two years ago when he was studying to tailor to our guide in Bamiyan and it was more to come look at all the ski boots this is after all a country of mountains but how do you get here when there are no commercial flights and the main road from Kabul isn't safe but that wasn't stopping guru Saenz dream if we talk about all of guns it's difficult but when we come to talk about bunion and bunion it's no problem it's bunion is its piece prevents this wonderful is king I had two real tourists those who are one was from Australia one was from UK two real tourists yeah the last time I saw you you talked about your dream which was which was third company so my hope that one day my company shall be famous for all of guns are not for only bunion to help improve those statistics I decided to be the third and last tourist of the season who the snows all but gone we had to walk to one of the furthest peaks fortunately the Afghan ski lift was working against fearlessness and enthusiasm [Music] these Afghan boys tagged along with us taking to the slopes with whatever they can find at home the littlest is sliding down the slopes in his mother's shoes look at that a bit of wood a rubber boot a bit of metal I thought in Mohammed don't you tell me as if why you like skiing so much what does it feel like when you're out there skiing injured in May this country give him the peace and prosperity just enough to make him a ski champion someday [Music] if tourism is to work they'll lead a few good hotels there are some but none quite like the Silk Road it's not just the location it's the owners it's still so amazing to see you here oh you're the only Japanese sushi chef in Afghanistan more Afghans yeah to to lady a trained chemist working with them yeah and I'm very happy to teaching for the Afghans she's helping them to move develop result I have to say that every time I see you you seem a little bit more Afghan like a fooling ladies I'm still Japanese yeah yeah mine is a little Afghan of course yeah I love here I love our finished and I'm living here yeah Messala fill in love with this country on her first visit in the 80s she came back to report after the is to see [Music] before you but did your your family say support because in Afghanistan you don't marry person you marry the family you marry into the culture not as good Amish clothes nedra bajas toy have any boudin Aslam boudin I couldn't help but smile the Japanese married to an Afghan from pond shear eating sushi in Bamiyan with a Canadian a lovely way to end the evening it was the last day of my trip before heading back to Kabul but I couldn't leave Bamiyan without making one last stop [Music] no matter how many times you see these empty niches they still take your breath away and every time I come to go me on no matter where I am in this valley you feel the presence of these Buddhas [Music] No haha I'd make years ago without such right here some interesting things like this is a Buddha feet yeah but what if it is destroyed by the Taliban Army in 2001 but you know you'd look yeah to think there was the world's largest standing buddha yeah so so it was so important to the world's heritage to Afghanistan around here it was that Buddhism temples for Buddhist on that time it was so holy place [Music] but in the talibans extreme creed all this was sacrilege and had to be destroyed surprisingly the evidence I would show to some fragment of the Dynamite's they fire they use bullets they use artillery piece different like a fuse yeah the best way to get a real feel for these colossal Buddhas is to climb the rough stairway hewn out of bare rock I've stopped counting we've done a lot more to come these now it was well the result Buddha statue from here the valley seemed so serene so peaceful but even here in this most hopeful of places I still found fear about what lies ahead at night you go home and you worry that the war will come again the Taliban will come back yeah maybe but you will stay here with your Buddhas you're not going to leave Afghanistan maybe yes maybe no maybe when Taliban comes to bomb yard captured me and killed me because the thinking we are connecting with foreigners but this is my select because new generation they are thinking we should improve our country Bamiyan is a place where Afghans can find space to dream the dreams quickly run into limits here Bamiyan can only realize its promise the rest of Afghanistan knows to Kabul journey's end a city bursting with life first and it sees I arrived in the capital with a feeling of happiness to have made a wonderful journey but it was a feeling soon tinged with sadness as bad news came through reports from Isaiah Sharif say that some of those killed were beheaded so at least nine people have been killed in the southern city under contact a NATO base in the western city of Herat silence had been only a short distance behind on my trip not long after I left mazar-e-sharif the UN compound was stormed by a mob Kandahar saw multiple suicide bombings even peaceful Herat came under attack [Music] I wanted to spend my last hours in Afghanistan at one of my favorite places the old royal palace on the edge of the city I remember it in its prime a magnificent building overlooking Kabul but like so much here years of conflict have taken a terrible toll an Afghan friend once told me this palace seemed to be weeping tears for the country and its people there is something about Afghanistan and I've seen it again on this journey its Afghans with their sense of pride and honour great sense of humor sense of self there's this Afghanistan Don this journey I've seen so much that is good and bright and strong but there's also this long shadow of the war [Music] and there are moments when you hold your breath knowing that all that's so bright it just become dark again [Music] [Music]

Channel: TRACKS

Views: 174,192

Rating: 4.7417784 out of 5

Keywords: afghanistan, asian culture, middle eastern culture, hidden gems, asia, middle east, asia documentary, afghanistan documentary, everything you didn't know, lyse doucet, TRACKS, tracks travel channel, tracks travel

Id: 7DitAWxzy6I

Length: 51min 45sec (3105 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 27 2019