Mohammad Parwaiz lost the vision in his right eye and most in his left when a mine he was deactivating exploded in his face. He received $8,000 in compensation from his employer, a European demining outfit. But all that money went to medical treatment and the accident left him unemployable, until he was offered a unique position.
Mohammad Parwaiz lost the vision in his right eye and most in his left when a mine he was deactivating exploded in his face. He received $8,000 in compensation from his employer, a European demining outfit. But all that money went to medical treatment and the accident left him unemployable, until he was offered a unique position.
Kabul’s ubiquitous fruit stands and pharmacies begin to thin out around the Charahee Qambar neighborhood, situated a few miles west of the capital’s center and home to the city’s largest settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs). UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, estimates that between 800 to 1,000 families, many of whom claim to be from Sangin, a town in northern Helmand province, live in the camp’s mud shacks with no electricity, heat or running water.
For many years, Sikhs were a prominent part of Kabul’s commercial scene, occupying prominent positions as traders, entrepreneurs, and, later, currency exchange specialists. But in today’s Afghanistan, many Sikhs find themselves marginalized and struggling to maintain their distinct cultural profile in Kabul.
Through centuries of conflict, fortunetellers have been a steady source of consolation for Afghans. Some date their practice to the time of Alexander the Great, whose army sought out soothsayers during its conquest of the region. Today, falbins, as they are known, operate in Kabul out of small shops, shacks or on street corners outside mosques and shrines.
Through centuries of conflict, fortunetellers have been a steady source of consolation for Afghans. Some date their practice to the time of Alexander the Great, whose army sought out soothsayers during its conquest of the region. Today, falbins, as they are known, operate in Kabul out of small shops, shacks or on street corners outside mosques and shrines.
