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Located 500 km from the capital, the Minaret of Jam, a building 65 meters high is the second largest religious monument of this kind in the world. Built at the intersection of two rivers (the Hari-rud and the Jam-rud) 1900 metres above sea level, this minaret, dated 1194, was built by Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Mohammed Ibn Saturday in the province of Ghur (central-west). Made from brick, this monument represents the history of the Ghurid dynasty and the period of medieval Islam. After joining in 2002 the UNESCO World Heritage Site, scientific excavations are underway. But for years, it was plagued by looting.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan
The Buddhas of Bamiyan (180 km west of Kabul), carved into the mountain, are no longer exist. This cultural legacy has not withstood the onslaught of Taliban, in which large explosives, have destroyed those they described as “pagan deities.” With the height of 57 and 40 metres, the two Buddhas had been carved, respectively, at third and fifth centuries. On 18 March 2001, part of Afghan heritage went up in smoke.

Today, Afghanistan is in a transition period, after intervention by Western army. Only a few major cities, Kabul, the capital, Kandahar, Herat, make up its urban fabric.

Kabul
Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, shows the sad face of a city bombed and worn by years of conflict. The city museum, which owned one of the greatest collections of antiquities in Asia, has been repeatedly looted. Today, Kabul is no longer has a good park or garden. The garden of Babur is now a wasteland and its old citadel has become a minefield.

Kandahar
Kandahar, the headquarters of the Taliban, is the second largest city in the country. A sign of the times, the only attraction of the city, a sacred clock, which allegedly belonged to the Prophet, was transferred to the mosque Da Kherqa Sharif Ziarat. Only the faithful can admire this small wonder.

Herat
Herat, once a cultural and artistic capital of Afghanistan, is a small oasis of greenery, which has unfortunately suffered the yoke of fanatical Taliban regime. The city has a bustling bazaar, filled with small shops and a citadel which is inaccessible, became army base. A outside the city, you can see the ruins of a medersa, built in the fifteenth century by Queen Gaur Shad.

The thin soil and harsh climate confined animal life to the species with most resistant endurance. Wolves, hyenas, foxes, gazelles, leopards, bears and mountain goats are the largest part of the wildlife in the country.

Large mammals mountain
The fauna of Afghanistan is typical of mountainous regions. There are large mammals such as bears, snow leopards, wolves, yaks, goats, wild boars, but also raptors, including golden eagles, the most beautiful specimen. The desert areas are the domain of porcupines, rhesus monkeys, mongooses and gerbils.

Afghanistan is a mountainous country. The chain of the Hindu Kush divides the country into three geographical areas: the mountains of the Centre, the plains of North and South plateau.

The mountains of the Hindu Kush
The mountainous region of the Hindu Kush, where culminate the highest peaks of Afghanistan, more than 7 500 metres above sea level is notched with deep valleys, forming long scars, powered by torrential rivers.

The plains of the Hindu Kush
To the north of the mountain, located on the plains of the Hindu Kush, watered by the Amu River. They are fertile land where farmers raise flocks of sheep and goats.

The plateau at south
The south is a semi-desert plateau. Rivers across the region give few more fertile valleys like at Helmand. It grows corn, barley, wheat, fruit trees but also and especially hashish and opium. Afghanistan has by the way, recently supplanted Burma as the first producer of Opium in the world.