Places & landscapes
Home → Places
Afghanistan sits at the meeting point of Central and South Asia. High mountain ranges shape its climate and routes, while river valleys have supported settlements, gardens and trade for centuries. This small archive introduces a selection of natural and historic places—not as a travel guide, but as cultural context.
Natural landscapes
Band-e AmirA chain of intensely blue lakes held between pale cliffs in Bamyan’s highlands. |
The Kokcha RiverA river of the northeast, flowing through Badakhshan’s dramatic mountain country. |
Mountain rangesAn introduction to the Hindu Kush and the ridges that shape movement, weather and life. |
Built heritage
Minaret of JamA celebrated 12th-century brick minaret rising from a remote river valley. |
BamyanA cultural landscape shaped by Silk Road exchange and the niches of the lost giant Buddhas. |
Citadel of HeratA monumental fortress at the heart of one of Afghanistan’s great historic cities. |
Bagh-e BaburTerraced gardens overlooking Kabul, associated with the first Mughal emperor, Babur. |
Mazar-e SharifA northern city known for the blue-tiled shrine at its centre and the spring festival of Nowruz. |
Herat’s MusallaThe surviving minarets of a once-vast Timurid religious and educational complex. |
Understanding the country
Read an introduction to Afghanistan’s geography, or explore the archive’s historic maps.