The Queen's Palace

Unfortunately for the Queen's Palace, the pictures are limited to one. We could not get very close to the Queen's Palace because of security concerns, however you can still get a sense of how "Regal" the building was. As with the King's Palace, it has also been extensively damaged by war and neglect and is nothing but a shell.

I have also included several additional photo's to provide you with a sense of the size of Kabul, as well as pictures of a camp of nomadic people called the Kuchi's.

I took the first group of pictures from a large hill located inside the city. The hill is actually quite steep and provides a great view of Kabul and how it spreads out in all directions. The view you see in the picture is only one side of Kabul, the city is just as large and spread out on the other side of the hill as well.

I took the second series of photo's near the Palace's and they are of a Kuchi camp. The Kuchi's are a nomadic tribe that has traditional routes throughout Afghanistan. Every year there is ethnic violence as the Kuchi's believe they have a right to set up camp wherever there is water or vegetation, food, etc. The locals do not approve of this practise and they will attack and kill the Kuchi's. This year was no different and at times we were confined to the Embassy grounds because large crowds were fighting in the city. To make matters worse, when the police arrive on scene, they discharge their weapons trying to disperse the crowds, however this usually starts a gun battle and people from all sides get killed.

The Kuchi's of course do not possess much and live in tents made from a canvas sheet. The girl in the previous post was probably a Kuchi and you can see how I tried to get a picture of a couple other young girls, but they ran away as soon as we stopped the vehicle. From looking at their camp and simple possessions, you really get a sense their way of life has not changed for generations.