What we do for clients abroad
A team from Nuristan on the ground in the province, a base in Britain, and nine services: gemstones and morels at wholesale, fixing, interpreting and Waygali-ala translation, photographs to licence, tours, crafts and investment support.
People from the province, doing business the way you expect
Nuristani began as a guide to a province, written by people from it. The same thing that makes the guide worth reading makes us useful to work with: a lawful team on the ground in Nuristan and eastern Afghanistan, with the languages, the family ties and the knowledge of who is who, and a base in the United Kingdom that answers in English and does business the way you expect. These are the services we sell to companies, institutions and individuals abroad. Each has its own page with the facts, the terms and the questions people ask.
If what you need is not listed, ask anyway. We have sourced stones for a jeweller, found a family for a researcher, checked a mine site for an adviser and translated a voice message for a solicitor. Most things that involve Nuristan can be done by someone from Nuristan.
- Based
- United Kingdom, with the team in Nuristan and Kabul
- Languages
- Nuristani languages, Dari, Pashto, English
- Clients
- Companies, media, institutions, researchers and private buyers abroad
- Terms
- Quoted in writing before you commit; nothing hidden on top
- Payment
- Bank transfer, escrow for a first order
- Reply
- Within a working day, in English
Nine things we do, each with its own page
Wholesale gemstones from Afghanistan
Tourmaline and kunzite from Nuristan, emerald from Panjshir, lapis from Badakhshan, ruby from Jegdalek, bought at first hand and sold under their own place of origin, with export papers and laboratory reports.
Read the page
Dried morels, wholesale
Wild gucchi from the forests of Nuristan, graded by cap size and moisture, documented from the valley to your warehouse, shipped by air with certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate.
Read the page
Fixer and local producer
Permits from the ministry in Kabul to the director in Parun, access to the valleys and the people, interpreting in their languages, drivers, accommodation, research and verification, and remote production when you cannot travel.
Read the page
Interpreting and translation
Waygali-ala, Kati, Kamviri, Prasun and Ashkun, the languages no agency lists and no app translates, with Dari and Pashto, by native speakers in person in Britain and by telephone or video anywhere.
Read the page
Waygali-ala translation
The language of the Waygal valley, which the books call Waigali or Kalasha-ala, translated and interpreted by native speakers from the valley: documents, voice messages, statements, interviews and dialect opinions. The request we get most often, so it has its own page.
Read the page
Photographs and film to licence
Genuine photographs and video of Nuristan from our own team, family and friends, licensed per use for editorial and commercial work, with the consent of the people pictured and the fee going to the person who took them.
Read the page
Tours and ground handling
The Nuristan days of an Afghanistan itinerary for licensed operators: permissions, guides from the province, vehicles, guesthouses and homestays, routes and the honest call on timing. Private trips for travellers who ask.
Read the page
Carved furniture and crafts
Nuristani carved chairs, tables and panels made to commission in the valleys, with the wool rugs, embroidery and other crafts of the province, shipped with their provenance.
Read the page
Investment and partnerships
What Nuristan has to offer an investor, from gemstones and timber-free forest products to hydropower and tourism, with the people on the ground to check a site, a licence or a partner before you commit.
Read the pageWhat is not on the list
- Research and verification: a licence, a mine site, a village, a claim or a person checked on the ground, with photographs and a written note.
- Country-expert input on Nuristan and Kunar for lawyers, with the honest limits of what a native speaker's knowledge can and cannot establish.
- Cultural consultancy for film, television, games and publishing: names, dress, houses, customs and languages checked by people who grew up with them.
- Sourcing of other Afghan goods: walnuts, pine nuts, dried fruit, saffron from the north, each under its own place of origin.
- Introductions: to the chamber of commerce, to licensed Afghan operators, to the dealers in Panjshir and Badakhshan, to the families who keep the crafts.
Write to us with what you need, where you are and when. The contact form reaches the UK team.
We say within a working day whether we can do it, who on the team will, and what we need from you.
A written quote with the terms, the documents and the timing, before you commit to anything.
The work, with a named person in Nuristan and one in Britain, and photographs or papers as proof at each step.
Asked before people write to us
What services does Nuristani offer?
Wholesale gemstones from Afghanistan, dried morels and other food products at wholesale, a fixer and local production service for media and researchers, interpreting and translation in the Nuristani languages with Dari and Pashto, with a page of its own for Waygali-ala, photographs and film of Nuristan to licence, ground handling for tour operators and private trips, carved furniture and crafts to commission, and support for investors. Each has its own page.
Where are you based?
In the United Kingdom, with our team in Nuristan and Kabul. Enquiries are answered from Britain in English; the work on the ground is done by people from the province.
How do you charge?
Every service is quoted in writing before you commit, per day, per hour, per word, per kilogram or per stone as the work demands, with nothing hidden on top. Payment is by bank transfer, or escrow for a first order of goods.
Can you help with something that is not listed?
Usually, yes. If it involves Nuristan or eastern Afghanistan and it is lawful, ask. We have checked sites for advisers, found families for researchers, translated recordings for solicitors and sourced stones for jewellers, none of which started as a listed service.
Who are you?
A team from Nuristan: a founder from Waygal who lives in Britain, and colleagues in the province who lead the work on the ground. Our About page introduces each of us.
Meet the team on our About page, or read whether Nuristan is safe to visit before planning work on the ground.
Plan your Nuristan journey
Ready to plan a visit, source Nuristani products, or discuss an investment? Your message goes to Obaid, who is from Nuristan, and his team in Afghanistan and the UK. We reply to every message.