On Friday 10.9.08, two of my colleagues and I headed up to Panjshir valley and stopped along the way to a little village called Istalif. We took two vehicles, loaded with MRE’s, extra water, flack jackets, extra firepower, satellite phones, two drivers and two security escorts. Heading northeast out of the city the seven of us began our adventure by passing through endless markets that went on for many miles.
Once we hit the outskirts of town, the markets disappeared and we began to discover a part of Afghanistan we have never seen before. Along the road towards Istalif and Panjsher, the mountains approached us slowly, and there were many large plots of land – enclosed by new brick masonry walls, and some with mud and straw (and a lot of time). People enclose land and claim it to be theirs and wait until the time is right for them to construct their compounds.
Every couple of miles we would drive through a “bazaar” (marketplace and village downtown) where all the common goods could be found, from cases of coca cola to rugs and handmade goods. We eventually took a left and started our approach up a narrow, windy, road up to Istalif, which sits on the side of a mountain.
Along the dusty road, we were greeted by small children holding flowers and curious faces as us outsiders entered their community. No adults were in sight, only young children 3 – 8 years old along the road keeping busy, doing what they do every day. The road became narrower and steeper, and sights became even more incredible.
At last, we made it into town. We were greeted by lots of kids running around and playing, and a couple of guys on donkeys. We were on a mission to find rare turquoise-glazed pottery that’s made here.
We started walking in the direction that we thought was the village and were right. We walked right through the bazaar, the locals looked at us with curiousity and some you could tell preferred that we weren’t there. There was hustle and bustle among the locals much like you would see in a large city, with people strapping cargo to donkeys and cars zipping up the one-lane path through the bazaar.
We eventually found more than 10 shops selling really cool hand made clay pottery with unique patterns on them, and the rare turquoise ones. After buying some, we saddled up and headed towards the Panjshir valley.
