Bill Sarwary captures the Afghanistan you never see

THE pictures show rugged mountains, crystal clear lakes, lush green hills and a country brimming with life. But if you think this is Europe or North America, think again.

THE pictures show rugged mountains, crystal clear lakes, lush green hills and a country brimming with life.

But if you think these pictures are out of a tourism brochure for Europe or North America you’re ]mistaken. This is Afghanistan as you’ve never seen it before and these are the same images that would have been kept hidden if the Taliban had its way. Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary started an ambitious social media campaign to show a side of his country that few outsiders would imagine even existed. The 30-year-old who has started #AfghanistanYouNeverSee on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram told news.com.au that his project didn’t try to hide years of war and destruction. But rather he said it aimed to paint a picture of his country that highlighted its beauty. Before it was ripped apart from decades of war and invasion, Afghanistan was a haven for western tourism full of culture and history stemming back to its time as the centre of the Silk Road trade route. However the richness of the land and its people remained hidden, suppressed by years of invasion and war first at the hands of the former Soviet Union and then ultimately at the hands of the Taliban. Under Taliban rule, women had no freedom and music and culture was strictly forbidden, and the country and its people remained isolated. While it is sometimes dangerous and his self-funded project takes him to remote and often volatile places with only his iPhone, Sarwary said it was the best way of showcasing the country’s amazing sites. “I am doing this because I believe in the power of social media and journalism,” the freelance journalist and photographer said. “I don’t want to be anyone’s hero, I do it purely for the sake of believing that people will enjoy seeing my country’s natural beauty.” Acknowledging war and bombs were still part of daily life for many Afghans, he said so was the need and a basic human shared desire for peace. “Here’s a country fighting for peace,” he said. “Yes there are bombs, but there’s also history and culture and the people have a sense of nationalism and a strong sense of resilience among the people. “I also wanted to show that what could be a normal example on life on the street in Sydney is the same as someone on the streets of Uruzgan. We should not be slaves to history.” The former BBC correspondent, who studied in the US and also worked as a translator for years, said he felt he owed it to his country to show there was hope. He added while it may never be the next Paris, it could once again lure tourists just as Colombo in Sri Lanka and Rwanda were beginning to do. He said the 9/11 Afghan generation armed with smartphones and access to social media would hopefully further change the view that the nation was just a desolate war-torn country. “Before the Russians invaded (1979), we were a decent country with decent infrastructure, with large exports and were like any other normal country,” he said. “But what we have here is breathtaking — I hope one day more people will be able to visit.” Continue the conversation @#AfghanistanYouNeverSee | @newscomHQ | @bsarwary