For years I have had tons of Afghan food because Im an Afghan (duh). However as a kid I was fed Gulpi, Bamya, and Fosilya. I despise these foods with my heart as I dont like the texture and taste. Is it just me? Are there any foods that are also bad that some of you hate?

Has anyone else checked their AncestryDNA results since the recent update? They’ve now separated Pashtun and Hazara ancestry into distinct categories, and I’m really curious what everyone else’s results look like.

Growing up, I was never told that we had any Hazara ancestry in our family, but according to my updated results, I have a surprisingly large percentage!

It got me thinking about how much ancestry we might share despite the ethnic divisions, discrimination, and racism that have existed in Afghanistan for generations.

I’m especially curious how many Afghans might have a nearly 50/50 split between Pashtun and Hazara ancestry without ever knowing it. I wonder how much of our family history has been forgotten, lost, or simply never discussed because of these divisions.

Obviously, DNA estimates aren’t perfect, and genetic ancestry doesn’t necessarily determine ethnic identity, but I still find it fascinating.

Has anyone else discovered something unexpected in their updated results? I’d love to hear what percentages you got and whether they match what your family has always told you about your background.

I was looking through google earth, and I found out about this interesting island called Qara-Tepa or Urta-Tagay in northern Takhar Provence, which is along the Panj river, bordering Tajikistan.

There is a very short Wikipedia page for this island, which mentions that Afghanistan fought a border conflict over the Island against the Russian empire in 1913, and then the Soviet Union in 1925), until both sides agreed that it belongs to Afghanistan.

It is considered to be a part of Darqad district, which according to wiki has a population of 25,000 and is mostly ethnic Uzbeks. Wiki also mentions that heroin is smuggled to Tajikistan from this area.

I noticed there isn't really a lot of info on this island online, so please do share any info you might have about it.

I urge you all to read about it and learn about it. There are many videos out now, but I don't want to link as it is all gore and NSFL.

Of course, we know Afghans can be ignorant and full of biases but some of those biases are rooted in fear or conflation with other diseases.

For instance, those with vitiligo are unfortunately ostracised because the depigmentation can resemble leprosy. However, after I went platinum blonde, I was compared to an albino. I explained what an albino was to my mother on a phone call and found out my family has the trait. Apparently my second cousin and neighbour has three sons with albinism back home.

The interesting thing is that I don’t remember seeing those cousins whenever I went back home, but my mother said it’s because we usually visited in summer so their mother was protective of their skin and never let them out as children. There are also no albinos in my community nor do I remember seeing any whenever I went back home, so I will assume albinism isn’t very common.

Of course, people with albinism have a lot of needs. I’m interested to know how the condition is viewed and handled back home.

The Taliban opened a long awaited road through the Wakhan Corridor to China but the Chinese government hasn’t said a word on when they will open their side.

This article discusses why that might be the case.

The Taliban see it as critical to building independence from Iran and Pakistan and any pressure they put on Afghanistan - but the lack of any positive response suggests these hopes are misplaced for the foreseeable future.

Im a taking a class about Afghanistan and my final project is to make a piece of jewelry inspired by traditional tribal Afghani jewelry. while I do recognize that there are many ethnic groups within Afghanistan I can't find any reputable resource talking about the different types of jewelry worn by the women.

Im interested in how its made and the symbolism behind the pieces.

I would truly appreciate if anyone could help me learn more about the topic.

asalam o alikum to all My dear afghan brothers/sisters i am a Pakistani i am here to talk about some issues the both countries are facing nowdays and the biggest issue is''hatred'' between both countries. I know what Pakistani army and govt had done to Afghanistan by creating taliban and also what Afghanistan govt had done to Pakistan. When we see online both Pakistanis and afghanis fighting on social media platforms. The reason of this post is we don't know when our governments will end this despite following same religion why we are hating each other when we have done nothing the governments are problem we hate our own army dominant government. the hatred will only make us sinful,waste our time energy and will make division between Muslims. The enemy of islam want this and we are giving the exact thing instead of improving ourself our society our countries we are focusing on hate. There is no ethnicity there is no tribe there is no race in islam. May allah unite all muslims. Hope you guys find it helpful please tell your opinion on the unity between these countries.

By this I mean you came to New Yorks boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn ect) or you were born there. If you moved away that still counts. What part of Afghanistan did your family originate from? (Im gonna assume kandahar is gonna be the most popular answer in replies)

Also have you guys noticed that were much more private and less flashy compared to our cousins from the opposite side of the country in California? Its really funny when you also consider how different Kabul and Kandahar are too.

The neighboring countries I am referring to are Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

Obviously the regions of Afghanistan beside a neighboring country would share the most in common with said neighbor. But I am asking about Afghanistan overall, not just one specific part of Afghanistan, if that makes sense to you guys.

I specifically did not mention government, cause ik Afghanistan has a very different system of government. I think it is better to focus more about the similarities between the people/cultures/history/mentality of Afghanistan with its neighbors.

Thanks for reading and please share your thoughts.

In the 1960s, women in Kabul studied at university and worked as doctors and teachers. Today, girls in Afghanistan can't go to school past 6th grade. This is the story of how Afghan women lost their freedom, from the reforms of the past to life under the Taliban today.

I would like to collaborate with an Afghan woman to write a chapter within a larger story. Nothing commercial, just help with an online story. The work could be anonymous or I could give full credit to your name and link out to your socials.

I need help writing the backstory for a minor character in a story. She was injured at work in the USA and was sent back to Afghanistan—and then writes back that she is married. I can skip her story in Afghanistan or I can give voice to her character and learn about what that life/marriage might look like—good and/or bad. I will not write her backstory because I don’t think I can write it with an authentic voice. This is not a Muslim story or a middle eastern story. But, it is a chance to share the real experiences of a married young woman in a new marriage with an audience who would probably not be exposed otherwise.

A Belarusian native wrote the backstory for one of my other characters and it was phenomenal! I’d love to see this story expand for this character too.

I have about 700 loyal readers—and growing—for each chapter. So it is not a big project. If you might be interested—or know someone who is—please send me a DM.

Afghanistan has a high percentage of Muslims. From what I found, less than 1% identify as non Muslims. With that, do these non Muslims typically adopt Muslim names to hide the fact that they're in fact non Muslims?

I know the last Jew had a Hebrew name but he was quite famous especially for being the last Jewish man in Afghanistan so there was no hiding it. Though what about Afghan Christians? And do they join the community with Islamic traditions like Eid?

British travel vlogger Carrie Patsalis has visited Afghanistan more than once, travelling through places including Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad and remote parts of Nuristan.

What surprised her most was how different everyday life could be from the image many of us have seen on TV for years.

She described being met with incredible hospitality, locals helping when her car broke down, being invited into people's homes for food and tea - and even mistaking wedding gunshots for something far more serious. 😅

But her experiences also revealed a much more complicated picture.

While she found many Afghans incredibly welcoming, she also spoke about growing frustration over the economy and the restrictions placed on women, including the impact of women being prevented from continuing their education and medical training.

One thing she said really stood out:

“Kabul is Afghanistan, but Kabul is not all of Afghanistan.”

It’s a fascinating perspective on a country that most of us have only ever seen through news reports and documentaries.

Do you think her experiences are a fair reflection of Afghan people?

As you guys probably know back in 1996 during the Afghan civil war, the Taliban was able to take over the majority of Afghanistan including Kabul. However the Northern Alliance lead by Massoud was able to hold onto North Eastern Afghanistan), and held off the Taliban until the US invasion of 2001.

By North Eastern Afghanistan I mean the areas around Badakhshan, Takhar, and Panjshir, which the Taliban was unable to take in the 1990s. I assume because the local population there were hostile to the Taliban. The northern alliance was also able to receive much needed supplies from Iran and Russia through the Tajikistan border.

What changed in 2021 to allow the Taliban to take over those areas so easily?

Why didnt we see a repeat of 1996-2001?

Are there real Afghans who actually want and push for a civil war in Afghanistan? How much of a hypocrite do you have to be to push for a war against the current government when you're living abroad. Afghanistan will be better if the zionists state of America lifts the sanctions and dictates UN countries to recognize Afghanistan instead of puppeteering Pakistan to attack. Yes there Is restriction imposed on the Afghans by their government but that doesn't mean as an Afghan you should support more blood shed. Once the recognition comes you will see less restriction.

Living in the west and advocating for a civil war is epitome of hypocrisy.

I’ve always been very interested about the quality of life in Afghanistan, specifically when some people say it isn’t as bad in some regions. I’ve just heard that this could be attributed to a parallel government being run by the National Resistance Front, which is a lot less restrictive than the Taliban. Apparently women are free to roam independently and mostly do whatever they want in the regions run by the NRF. Even men have more liberties due to sharia law being less imposed on the day to day life.

Is the phenomenon of different rulings based on region actually true? Or is it just romanticizing the perception of the country? And if it was true, would a woman be able to move independently from for example Kandahar to these regions independently without repercussion?

I know Afghan Pashtuns care about the Durand line issue due to the large amount of their ethnic kin on the other side of the border. Even the Taliban, who were supported by Pakistan, went against their Pakistani backers by advocating against the Durand line.

But what about Afghan Tajiks, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmens and the other non Pashtuns in Afghanistan. How do they feel about the Durand line?

Do they feel the same as Afghan Pashtuns, or do they not care?

Perhaps even supporting the Pakistani claim as to avoid having an even larger Pashtun majority in Afghanistan?

Please share your thoughts.

Well, apparently Hazaras are South Asian now. But seriously, does anyone else find this kind of labelling concerning? https://www.instagram.com/ballerzscout/

An Afghan classmate gave me a couple of quroot after I told her I wanted to try quroot. I don’t see myself snacking on quroot tbf so I want to put it to good use and make a dish out of it.