Kabul Main Street 1972, a photo from Kabul, East

Photographer's Note

A real oldie from my first visit to Afghanistan, late summer 1972.

This is the Jad-e Maiwand, a long and wide street that had been drawn up in the early 20th century through the narrow lanes of old Kabul. It had become the most important business street of the city and one of its main thoroughfares.

I think this picture was taken very close to the friendly but extremely basic hotel where I was staying. As I stepped out from the hotel I was always overwhelmed by the crowds of bearded men in turbans, women in burqas - and some in Western style clothes - colourful trucks, battered old buses, herds of goats or sheep, an occasional camel. I was young and had never seen anything as exotic, and I enjoyed every moment.

More than three decades later I returned to this street only to find most of it reduced to long lines of ruins.

This was scanned from an Agfa Color slide, not as good as the Kodachromes I switched to later.

fanni, Kielia, Glint, papera, Polonaise, aristo, erhan1958, skippy007, UlfE, saxo042, millevitch, leahkan, edcone has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

humayun (2907) 2010-05-09 2:15

hello dear...........
Your photo is very nice with beautiful colours and right frame and lighting
This place is beautiful too and you are lucky that was there.....................
well don,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

fanni (13318) 2010-05-09 2:29

Hej Gert,
yes, very exotic, indeed... especially for those who have never lived or travelled to such places!
This can be considered a "very" documentary historic shot - with sooooo many interesting details!
At the very first glance at the photo for a moment it even seemed to me that the woman (on the right) is walking with her back turned to us... but then I saw she's carrying something. So, it appears vice versa! :((
"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet".

varma hälsningar,
och -trevlig söndag!
Elena

Kielia (17649) 2010-05-09 2:47

Hej Gert,
a very fascinating and very well captured scene and another interesting document.
Your note and Elena’s comment are thought provoking. What will the future bring to this country and its people?
Thank you for sharing this photo from your fantastic gallery !
Warm regards
Harriet

Glint (5040) 2010-05-09 6:20

Hello Gert,
another excellent and interesting documentary image. IHere we see old and new meeting. Sad thaat you found this place in ruins on a subsequent trip.
Bev

papera (13228) 2010-05-09 7:40

I am trying to imagine how you must have felt then, surrounded by all this... for sure it would impress me even now, and even after having seen these pictures on TV or in the press.
sometimes I think in retrospect - will we look in the future at the pictures we take nowadays with the same spirit and state of mind we have now..?
yes, the Kodachrome/Ektachrome are a different league - nevertheless this photo is more than the film it was shot on, and as such it documents a moment in life worth looking at.
c.

siamesa (25849) 2010-05-09 12:49

Boa tarde Gert

Excellent composition. Considering the time that you took this photo, we can say that it is perfect, full of life anc colors. Congratulations.
Abraços
maria

emka (49623) 2010-05-09 23:22

Hi Gert,
this photo is even older than your last ones from Afghanistan. Great view of this busy street. Women in burqas, men in turbans, goats... I like here this very colourful bus or trucks. And as in other notes this tragic sentence - "most of it reduced to long lines of ruins"....

Thanks for sharing these documents

Malgorzata

swiatopelk777 (0) 2010-05-10 1:27

Hi Gert!
Very fine picture. Good scene. Interesting place. Fantastic document.
Greetings from Warszawa!

jasmis (57538) 2010-05-10 1:31

Another interesting report photo from your full archive.
Regards my dear friend.

mafegan (8340) 2010-05-10 23:53

Hello Gert
Main street Kabul in 1972 - excellent historical documentary shot. A pity you could not have shown us the same sad scene 30 years later. This agfa slide is in good order - I have seen many that have faded to just green and pink. As usual thank you for sharing, Marlene

aristo (3152) 2010-05-13 11:03

Hello Gert!
Fantastic daily life scene,You captured great moment.What a place,full of life in country of prohibition.Great documentary image,compliments,

Arek

skippy007 (12464) 2010-05-18 20:24

Hello Gert, An oldie and a goodie. I imagine a young European would have been awe struck seeing this type of scene for the first time. A Shame to read that on your second trip it was almost all reduced to rubble. Interesting scene, I can not help but wonder how much there would have been if these people were left alone in a peaceful environment. Nice capture & well reproduced, most certainly worth seeing. Thanks
Regards
Santo

UlfE (12550) 2010-05-20 11:55

Hej Gert,

Another excellent photo of Kabul Main street. The diagonal line makes the composition very exciting. In my view it could have been a little bit brighter. The reason is that you have feeling that the woman in the foreground is walking away even if she is actually approching you. A little brigher picture could perhaps have changed this. TFS and have a nice evening!

Hälsningar

Ulf

saxo042 (27752) 2010-05-21 8:09

Hej Gert,
Another very interesting documentary, with a unique presentation of a city that obviously has changed dramatically. A lot of details to be found and studied here.
Hälsningar
Gunnar