A group of village men in pakols and shawls posed on a hillside

Original Photography

The Nuristan gallery

Every photograph here was taken in and around the province by our own team, family and friends. No stock imagery: this is Nuristan as the people who live there see it. Select any photo to view it large.

A carved Nuristani chair with a knotwork back, chip-carved arms, a woven seat and a red cushion — A carved Nuristani chair, from our own collection

Two carved Nuristani chair backs with a horned crescent motif, rosettes and meander borders — Chair backs: the horned crescent, rosettes and meander

Abdulrahman Chonish crouched on rocks beside a turquoise lake ringed by mountains — Abdulrahman at a turquoise mountain lake

Abdulrahman Chonish sitting on rocks with his feet in a turquoise river in the Kuraj valley of Mandol, a hillside village behind — Abdulrahman cooling off in the river, Kuraj valley, Mandol

Abdulrahman Chonish and a friend sitting on a boulder beside a stream in the Pashagar valley of Nurgaram, green trees and a dry-stone wall behind them — Abdulrahman and a friend in the Pashagar valley, Nurgaram

Pale grey rocks speckled with black crystals, and yellow-green stones, heaped on a slope in the Pashagar valley of Nurgaram, Nuristan — Stones that point to gemstones, Pashagar valley, Nurgaram

A supplier's hands unwrapping a parcel of rough spodumene from the Mawi mine in Nuristan, pale pink kunzite, colourless, yellow and pale green crystals laid out on a red table — A parcel of rough kunzite and spodumene from Mawi, Du Ab

Six rough spodumene crystals from the Mawi mine in Nuristan on a red table: pale pink kunzite, colourless and golden yellow, each grooved along its length with etched, stepped ends — Rough kunzite and spodumene from Mawi, Du Ab

A deep violet kunzite crystal from the Mawi mine in Nuristan held in the palm of a hand, its sides grooved along the length — A deep violet kunzite crystal from Mawi, Du Ab

A blue-green tourmaline crystal from the Sewketra valley in Waygal, Nuristan, held up between finger and thumb, its faces striated along the length and a crust of white feldspar on one edge — Blue-green tourmaline from the Sewketra valley, Waygal

A rough morganite crystal from the Sewketra valley in Waygal, Nuristan, peach to orange-brown with flat faces, held in a hand against a dark background — Rough morganite from the Sewketra valley, Waygal

A long blue tourmaline crystal, indicolite, from the Yinshaw valley in Waygal, Nuristan, held between finger and thumb, its faces striated along the length — Blue tourmaline from the Yinshaw valley, Waygal

A blue tourmaline crystal, indicolite, from the Yinshaw valley in Waygal, Nuristan, lit from behind by a torch and glowing deep blue-green in a cupped hand — Yinshaw blue tourmaline, lit from behind

Pale blue-green aquamarine crystals set in grey and white pegmatite rock in the Sewketra valley of Waygal, Nuristan, a gem field not yet worked — Aquamarine in the rock, Sewketra valley, Waygal

Abdulrahman Chonish talking with a white-bearded elder in a stone-walled village lane — Abdulrahman meets a village elder

Abdulrahman Chonish sitting under a tree by the river in Mandol, talking with a white-bearded elder in a pakol while another man listens — Abdulrahman with village elders by the river, Mandol

Abdulrahman Chonish and the tribal elder Haji Yousuf drinking green tea in the shade of a tree on river sand in the Kuraj valley, Mandol — Green tea in the riverside shade: Abdulrahman with Haji Yousuf, Kuraj valley, Mandol

Abdulrahman Chonish sitting on a stone wall by the river in Mandol with three local friends, the river and its gravel banks behind — Abdulrahman with local friends on the riverbank, Mandol

Men seated in a circle on rugs under a canvas shelter, talking over tea — In discussion with the elders

Abdulrahman Chonish handing packaged clothes to boys lined up on a veranda — Distributing clothes to children at a mosque

Sadiq Amiri, on the right in a white pakol and glasses, and a colleague in a black turban hand out new white clothes in plastic bags from a red table to a crowd of Nuristani boys on a veranda on Eid, one boy trying on his new white cap — Sadiq Amiri handing out new clothes to children on Eid

Yousuf Amiri, in glasses and a white shirt, smiling up at his young son Abdullah Amiri, who sits on his arm in a white T-shirt and blue sandals and puckers his lips for the camera, in a street with a tree and apartment blocks behind — Yousuf Amiri with his son Abdullah Amiri, both from Waygal

Ahmed Bilal, in a white shalwar kameez, with five children of the Sewketra valley in Waygal district: a small child in a floral kameez holding a new pakol, a girl in a brown headscarf under his arm and three boys, a timber house and the forested valley side behind — Ahmed Bilal with children in the Sewketra valley, Waygal

Habib Rahman, in a dark blue shalwar kameez, sitting on the rail of a wooden bridge over the Parun river and looking upstream, white water over boulders, a tree on the bank and cedar forest on the valley side — Habib Rahman on a wooden bridge over the Parun river

Abdulrahman Chonish handing out gifts to a crowd of village children in the Kuraj valley of Mandol, boys and girls gathered round him in front of a dry-stone wall — Abdulrahman handing out gifts to children, Kuraj valley, Mandol

Children seated on the floor of a village classroom with school bags — A village classroom

Zabiullah Amiri with two companions in front of a village school in the Yinshaw valley of Waygal district, dozens of pupils in blue and white on the stone terraces behind — Zabiullah visiting a school in the Yinshaw valley, Waygal

Abdulrahman Chonish and local men on the stony bank of the Dani Pajagal river in Du Ab, holding up strings of freshly caught fish — Abdulrahman fishing with the locals, Dani Pajagal river, Du Ab

Abdulrahman Chonish with local men and young boys wading in the Waygal river to fish, one man in blue pointing upstream — Fishing with the locals and their children, Waygal

A local fisherman on the stony bank of the Dani Pajagal river in Du Ab, holding up a string of fish — The day's catch on the Dani Pajagal river, Du Ab

A heap of freshly caught river fish on the rocks beside the main river in Waygal, a man's hand lifting one — The catch from the main river, Waygal

Two men beside a blackened pot over an open wood fire, village slopes behind — Cooking over an open fire in Waygal

Men and boys of Waygal gathered on a mat on rocky ground around a large pile of goat meat being divided for a feast, a blackened cooking pot in the foreground — A goat feast for the whole tribe, Waygal

A solar cooker beside the river in Parun: a dish lined with mirror tiles focusing sunlight on a blackened cooking pot — A solar cooker by the river in Parun

A young man holding a toddler, surrounded by village children — Village children

Zabiullah Amiri laughing with friends and family seated on a rock slab in Waygal, cliffs and pine forest rising behind, one man holding prayer beads — Zabiullah with friends and family in Waygal

Four men in pakols and waistcoats on a rooftop above the centre of Waygal, a girl in a headscarf pointing in the foreground, the old village climbing the hill behind — On a rooftop above the centre of Waygal

A man walking hand in hand with a white-bearded elder on a hillside path — Obaid with village elders

A large group of men talking on a terrace below a cliff — A gathering outside a timber house

Stone and timber houses stacked up a rocky hillside in Waygal, a pink-walled building with a blue roof below among trees — The old village tiered up the rock, Waygal

An old stone house laced with timber, with wooden balconies, beside a pale blue building on the Waygal river, tiered houses on the slope opposite — An old timber-laced house by the river, Waygal

A stone and timber house built on top of a rocky crag in Mandol, a steep forested mountainside across the gorge behind it — A house on a crag above the gorge, Mandol

A man in a blue kameez drawing a long wooden bow as others watch — Practising with the long wooden bow

A large circle of men seated and standing at an outdoor village council — A village jirga

A large jirga in Mandol: men of the tribe seated on the ground and standing along a stone wall below a rocky mountain, a speaker with a loudhailer in the middle — Abdulrahman speaking at a tribe jirga in Mandol

An elder with a staff seated in front of pine-forested slopes — An elder in the high valleys

A young Nuristani man in a traditional scarf, the mountains behind him — A young man of the valleys

A Nuristani elder in a pakol, the forested mountains behind him — An elder in a pakol

A Nuristani elder and child looking out from their home — An elder and child at the window

A young Nuristani man in a pakol beside a mountain river — By the river

A bearded Nuristani man in a pakol and utility vest in the mountains — In the mountains

Zabiullah Amiri with three men on a mountain road in the Arans valley of Waygal district, in kameez, waistcoat, scarf and pakol, sawn timber stacked behind them and bare peaks beyond — Zabiullah with companions in the Arans valley, Waygal

The Waygal river running fast past a stone weir and a blue-roofed building, old stone and timber houses on the cliffs above — The Waygal river below the old cliff houses

A Nuristani elder seated on a wooden charpai above a mountain valley — On the veranda

Obaid Nuristani seated on a boulder below a rock mountainside — Obaid in the mountains

Zabiullah Amiri, director of Nuristani, crouching on a wall above the Sewketra valley in Waygal district, a turquoise river, terraced fields and a timber house far below and cedar forest on the mountainside — Zabiullah Amiri, our director, above the Sewketra valley, Waygal

Abdulrahman Chonish, head of tours and guiding in Nuristan, smiling in a cream pakol and a purple jacket, sitting cross-legged under a tree in the Sewketra valley of Waygal district, forested slopes behind — Abdulrahman in a pakol, Sewketra valley, Waygal

Abdulrahman Chonish in a cream pakol and purple jacket sitting cross-legged under an oak tree high in the Sewketra valley of Waygal, cedar-forested slopes behind — Abdulrahman under an oak, Sewketra valley, Waygal

Abdulrahman Chonish leading a hike up a stony path through the woods of the Sewketra valley in Waygal, a local man beside him and two guests from the Netherlands behind — Walking guests from the Netherlands up the Sewketra valley

Two guests from the Netherlands and their guides walking a path between fields and trees in the Sewketra valley of Waygal, forested mountains and cloud behind — On the path between the fields, Sewketra valley

Guests from the Netherlands arriving with their guide at a small whitewashed house with a timber veranda in the Sewketra valley of Waygal — Arriving at a village house, Sewketra valley

A local man and a child with the visiting Dutch couple, each holding a black newborn kid, among a herd of long-haired goats in the Sewketra valley of Waygal — Newborn kids for the guests, Sewketra valley

A smiling couple from the Netherlands, he in a pakol and shawl, she in a headscarf, each holding a black newborn kid among long-haired goats in the Sewketra valley of Waygal — Guests from the Netherlands with newborn kids, Waygal

A bridge over the Waygal river at the district centre, people crossing, tin-roofed buildings beside it and the old village tiered up the hillside — The bridge at the centre of Waygal district

The centre of Waygal district from above: houses, terraced fields and the Waygal river between forested mountains — The centre of Waygal, between the mountains

The Parun valley seen from above, green fields along the river between steep mountainsides — The Parun valley from above

Green fields and trees on the Parun valley floor, forested slopes and cloud-capped peaks above — Green fields on the Parun valley floor

The fast Parun river running past tents and forested slopes in the Parun valley — The Parun river

White water on the turquoise Parun river between rocky banks, a walled path above — White water on the Parun river

The Parun river rushing through a gorge of pine and cedar forest, a path along the far bank — The Parun river through a forested gorge

An excavator carrying out rebuilding work on a hillside above Parun, with the valley and village below — Rebuilding work above Parun

A road curving down to houses and shops on the valley floor in Parun, pine-forested mountains behind — Houses and shops in Parun

Stone and timber houses terraced up a hillside above the Parun river, green fields and a long polytunnel on the valley floor — A village terraced up the hillside above the Parun river

Timber houses among terraced fields and trees in the Parun valley, forested hills behind — Village houses among terraced fields, Parun

Obaid Nuristani seated beside an elder, a Nuristani uncle, on a hillside above a village in the Parun valley, pine-forested mountains rising behind — Obaid with a Nuristani uncle above a village in the Parun valley

Obaid Nuristani and two friends in pakols and waistcoats sitting on the grass above the turquoise Parun river, pine forest on the slopes beyond — Obaid with friends by the Parun river

A turquoise stretch of the Parun river below orchards and trees, forested mountains beyond — A turquoise stretch of the Parun river

The turquoise Parun river beneath orchard trees and a bare, rocky mountain — The Parun river below the orchards

The turquoise Parun river running fast past willows and earth banks, houses among the trees beyond — The Parun river past houses in the valley

Obaid Nuristani and elders in pakols seated on a timber veranda in Parun, raising their hands in dua, one with his hands over his face — Obaid and elders making dua on a timber veranda in Parun

Abdulrahman Chonish in a white pakol crouched barefoot on a rock in a clear green river in Mandol, washing his arms for wudu before prayer — Abdulrahman making wudu in the river, Mandol

Houses and roofs of a village on the valley floor in Parun, cedar forest rising steeply behind — A village in Parun, below the cedar forest

A village in Parun at the foot of a steep cedar-forested gorge, a tall deodar in the foreground — A village in Parun at the foot of a cedar-forested gorge

Bare grass slopes above a river in Parun under grey cloud, the river threading the valley floor — Bare slopes above the river in Parun

The Kantiwa valley in Nuristan from above: green fields and scattered houses along a winding river, steep rocky mountains on both sides, the peaks lit gold — The Kantiwa valley from above

A field of young maize on the floor of the Kantiwa valley, a large tree and village houses beyond, steep rocky mountains under a blue sky — Young maize on the Kantiwa valley floor

A smiling man in Kantiwa carrying a huge load of dried brush on his back across a green mountain pasture, rocky peaks behind — Carrying a load across the pasture, Kantiwa

Workers laying a new asphalt road beside the river in Kantiwa, a village on the forested slope above — Asphalt going down on the Kantiwa road

A green meadow scattered with boulders on the Kantiwa valley floor, trees and terraced fields at its edge, mountains rising on both sides — A meadow on the Kantiwa valley floor

An old stone house with high walls and small windows standing alone on a bare knoll in Kantiwa, green trees and fields around it — An old stone house, Kantiwa

A man crouched by an open fire against a pile of stones in Kantiwa, turning ears of sweetcorn in the flames — Roasting sweetcorn over the fire, Kantiwa

Ears of sweetcorn roasting on the embers of an open fire in Kantiwa, flames beside them — Sweetcorn in the embers, Kantiwa

Villages in the Kantiwa valley under deep winter snow, houses and bare trees on the white valley floor, mist on the slopes — Kantiwa under winter snow

A group of children in Kantiwa standing together on the grass under trees, two small girls in bright embroidered dresses in front — Children of Kantiwa

Schoolchildren in Kantiwa sitting their exams outdoors on the grass, each with a sheet of paper, a maize field and mountains behind — Exams in the open air, Kantiwa

A traditional meal in Kantiwa laid out on a cloth: flat bread, meat on the bone, a bowl of dried yoghurt with melted butter, and a pan of butter — A traditional meal in Kantiwa: bread, meat, dried yoghurt and butter

Obaid Nuristani with an elder and a tribal leader of Kunar on a terrace, the white-bearded elder pointing out over a wide river plain — Obaid with an elder and a tribal leader of Kunar

Miners and traders seated round a white cloth inside the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan, sorting heaps of rough tourmaline and tissue-wrapped specimens under a single lamp — Sorting rough tourmaline inside the Mawi mine, Du Ab

A buyer at the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan, holding a green tourmaline crystal up to a torch to grade it, with miners and traders seated round the heaps of rough on a white cloth — Grading a Mawi tourmaline crystal by torchlight

A finger-length green tourmaline crystal from the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan, held between finger and thumb, darker green at the tip and paler towards the base, with loose green crystals and a notebook of weights on the cloth behind — Green tourmaline from the Mawi mine, Du Ab

Rough tourmaline from the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan, laid out on a white cloth inside the mine: three heaps of pale green and pink fragments sorted by grade, a small patch of darker green crystals, and specimen pieces wrapped in tissue — Mawi tourmaline rough in heaps, sorted by grade

Miners at a camp on the pale pegmatite waste slope of the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan, one hanging clothes beside a solar panel and an oil drum, two older men resting below the broken rock — The camp on the waste slope outside the Mawi mine

The miners' quarters inside the Mawi mine in Du Ab, Nuristan: a chamber cut into the rock with carpets on the floor, bedding stacked against the wall, a lamp overhead, men resting and one at prayer — The miners' quarters inside the Mawi mine

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