1960’s Afghanistan Was Very Different Before The Taliban

When you think of Afghanistan's history, you probably don't think of short skirts, nice cars, and liberal 60s styles, but just as Iran looked very different in the 1970s, these historical pictures show that Afghanistan in the 1960s was a very different country than the one that exists today.

The pictures were taken by American University professor Dr. Bill Podlich, who in 1967 took a two-year leave of absence to work for UNESCO in Afghanistan. He served as the Expert of Principles of Education at the Higher Teachers College in Kabul, and during this time he took many vintage photos of life as it was before the Afghanistan war. The Soviets invaded only a decade later, and Afghanistan was pulled into the war, and following Taliban rule and the US invasion in 2001, the country now bears little resemblance to the peaceful and prosperous nation that you can see in these, now quite sad pictures below.

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Young Photographer At Paghman Gardens

Final score:

141points

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GingerFalconbury 8 years ago

They looked so free.

14points

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Students At The Higher Teachers College Of Kabul

Final score:

68points

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GingerFalconbury 8 years ago

Look at the sparkle in the girl in the blue shirts eyes.

7points

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Kindergarten Dance

Final score:

63points

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GingerFalconbury 8 years ago

Adorable

12points

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Co-education

Final score:

63points

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ViktorBoyanov 8 years ago

the girl on the left looking at the camera, amazing picture!

11points

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Afghan High School Girls

Final score:

60points

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Michel Guntern 8 years ago

So self-confident.

6points

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Education Under The Trees

Final score:

59points

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OrionH. 8 years ago

Looks like a really calming photo

8points

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Bus Trip

Final score:

58points

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ShaudaySmith 8 years ago

dude in the center looks like he is about to sell us some nice cologne. dem eyes...

22points

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Big Sister

Final score:

58points

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SaskiaGoh 8 years ago

Looks a lot like kourtney kardashian

25points

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Afghan Hound

Final score:

56points

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SarahMcRae 8 years ago

Aw, I have always wanted an Afghan dog since I saw a photo of one when I was younger! They look gorgeous!

4points

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#10

Rush Hour

Final score:

55points

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RichardPetch 8 years ago

And British cars.

0points

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#11

Decorating Cakes

Final score:

53points

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FrankGoodman 8 years ago

It's the Middle East 50+ years ago, what kind of hygiene do you expect?

8points

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#12

Sharing Tea & Music

Final score:

50points

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ChrissyKulp 8 years ago

How break in the day should be!

5points

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#13

Hanging Out At The American International School Of Kabul (aisk)

Final score:

49points

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JaneTurnerWhitaker 8 years ago

I attended this school from 1959-1962 Amazing

36points

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#14

Shopping For Scarves

Final score:

45points

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Victoria Howard 8 years ago

This would be me...buy them all!

1point

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#15

Blonde & Afghans

Final score:

44points

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DianePeters 8 years ago

The way looks they are giving her would make me uncomfortable if I were her.

9points

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#16

Aisk Parking Lot

Final score:

42points

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FrimpongPoku-Dankwa 8 years ago

The hills provide an AWESOME backdrop

11points

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#17

Kabul Gorge

Final score:

40points

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FrimpongPoku-Dankwa 8 years ago

very picturesque

5points

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#18

Frying Up Dessert

Final score:

37points

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NehaHegde 8 years ago

Afghan jalebi :-D

9points

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#19

Bus Driver

Final score:

36points

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GuyMeylan 8 years ago

Bus from Kabul to Panchir? if I can still read persian!

5points

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#20

Salang Pass Tunnel

Final score:

34points

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Sykes 8 years ago

Pretty much everyone is smiling and laughing in the background

4points

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#21

Bamiyan Valley

Final score:

25points

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JaneTurnerWhitaker 8 years ago

Such happy memories before the statues were destroyed.

5points

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#22

Friendly Crowd

Final score:

22points

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Tod 1 year ago

They should kill themselves fr fr

1point

#23

Under The Trees

Final score:

22points

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#24

Fruit & Veggies

Final score:

22points

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#25

Art Show

Final score:

21points

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#26

Afternoon Prayers

Final score:

21points

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Tod 1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

1point

#27

Outdoor Class

Final score:

20points

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KemalKaya 8 years ago

little guy in the middle at #13 learning how to get thru school

1point

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#28

Kabul

Final score:

20points

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#29

Co-education

Final score:

19points

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NamuunaaSaruul 8 years ago

bright smiles n fashionable ladies!

0points

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#30

Gas Station

Final score:

19points

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steven malpon 1 year ago

imagine if this place blowed up

-1point

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#31

Afternoon Shade

Final score:

19points

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Tod 1 year ago

D**k

0points

#32

Balloon Boy

Final score:

18points

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Tod 1 year ago

Penis BAlOONS

0points

#33

Annual Exhibition Of Student Art Work

Final score:

18points

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#34

Vip

Final score:

18points

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#35

Afghanistan

Final score:

16points

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ShaudaySmith 8 years ago

for a second i thought this was a light study painting. wonderful colors and depth. the deep shadows are crazy

11points

#36

All Dressed Up

Final score:

15points

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#37

Skinny Tie

Final score:

15points

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MayaClasson 8 years ago

Snazzy!

1point

#38

Hotel Inter-continental

Final score:

15points

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#39

Sight Seeing

Final score:

15points

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Peggy Moore 8 years ago

That's Dr. Podlich. He's not sightseeing, lol. He is walking home from work.

3points

#40

Detail On Arch

Final score:

14points

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RoxaneLevac 8 years ago

I like the art work

0points

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#41

Dr. Podlich & The Afghans

Final score:

14points

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faiq_sawiz 8 years ago

the guy in the back is wondering why dr. bill wore his pants so high LOL

1point

#42

Fully Loaded

Final score:

13points

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#43

Indoor Class

Final score:

13points

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#44

Bamiyan Buddah Statue

Final score:

13points

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JaneTurnerWhitaker 8 years ago

This makes me so sad. My brother and I climbed to the top of this statue before it was bombed.

8points

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#45

Shave And A Haircut

Final score:

12points

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#46

Kabul International

Final score:

12points

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#47

Walking Home

Final score:

12points

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#48

Military Band

Final score:

12points

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GajaRupala 8 years ago

Well, their helmets...

0points

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#49

Mosque In The Center Of Kabul

Final score:

12points

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#50

Portable Grand Stand

Final score:

12points

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#51

Shopping For Canned Goods

Final score:

11points

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faiq_sawiz 8 years ago

Drank KLIM milk all my life haha

0points

#52

The Dance

Final score:

11points

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#53

Main Street

Final score:

11points

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#54

People & Ducks

Final score:

10points

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#55

Masked Parade

Final score:

10points

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HeleNita 8 years ago

This looks like Mexico!

2points

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#56

Monument

Final score:

9points

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#57

Cookin' Kababs

Final score:

9points

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#58

Swimming In The Kabul River

Final score:

9points

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#59

Algebra & Mud

Final score:

9points

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faiq_sawiz 8 years ago

Chemistry & Mud*

0points

#60

Apartments & Stores

Final score:

8points

POST

#61

School's Out

Final score:

8points

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#62

Marching

Final score:

8points

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#63

Road Work

Final score:

8points

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Carlos Ovalle 3 years ago

This actually looks like they're mixing concrete by hand for use in a construction project behind the photographer. This is a very common occurrence.

0points

#64

New Years Celebration

Final score:

8points

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Hanna 8 years ago

Mostly men celebrating New Years

1point

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#65

Guard Duty

Final score:

7points

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#66

Afghan Army

Final score:

7points

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HulusiYılmaz 8 years ago

Turkish flag

0points

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#67

The Demonstration

Final score:

7points

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RobertBarrett 8 years ago

One of the best school system in the USA started from this class Harmony School of Innovation

2points

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What do you think ?

ShahzadAhmed 8 years ago

Get your facts right..1960 is before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and followed by American backed "Jihad" against Communism, which actually produced war lords, drugs and Talibans.

BjornArvidsson 8 years ago

Sadly, that truth is hidden from Americans; how Brzezinski and Carter supported extreme Anti-Russian elements, which became Taliban, how the same "gentlemen" more or less forced The Soviet Union into a reluctant war in Afghanistan (which had the wanted effect of toppling the Soviet Union) Brzezinski said they wanted "to draw the Russian's into the Afghan trap". No, nobody talks of this anymore, just as nobody talks of Cuba before the revolution, the conditions for ordinary Cubans, and how the Trade Embargo effectively destroyed any chance of the revolution succeeding, so that the US can now sit and laugh at the sideline and say"there's communism for you; it doesn't work". But who cares..

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Arty 8 years ago

Thanks for getting History straight! :)

JosephRouleau 8 years ago

You don't even have to look much further than the Bond film "The Living Daylights" to see the way in which Jihadists (for lack of a more precise word) with anti- Russian sentiments/ the Taliban were being romanticized by the western powers in the 80's. It's all very Lawrence of Arabia-esque. Now it's all turned around and bitten us in the a*s and we're eating our words.

FelipeRibeiro 8 years ago

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DariaB 8 years ago

I might be wrong, but it kinda looks like such countries as Afganistan and Iran were sacrificed for the sake of the world's dominant political super powers to stay dominant....

BarrySt.Denis 8 years ago

Yes, powerful countries that will not attach each other directly will sacrifice a less powerful country. Such as what happened in Vietnam.

FarhadMoghadam 8 years ago

you cant compare iran, iran had much more better conditions in 60s but its better now

MichaelTint 8 years ago

Very true ... Soviet Union and USA

DavidHorning 8 years ago

If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere...

KimberlyPope 8 years ago

Yup. And that is terrifying.

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1960’s Afghanistan Was Very Different Before The Taliban

Young Photographer At Paghman Gardens

Students At The Higher Teachers College Of Kabul

Kindergarten Dance

Co-education

Afghan High School Girls

Education Under The Trees

Bus Trip

Big Sister

Afghan Hound

Rush Hour

Decorating Cakes

Sharing Tea & Music

Hanging Out At The American International School Of Kabul (aisk)

Shopping For Scarves

Blonde & Afghans

Aisk Parking Lot

Kabul Gorge

Frying Up Dessert

Bus Driver

Salang Pass Tunnel

Bamiyan Valley

Friendly Crowd

Under The Trees

Fruit & Veggies

Art Show

Afternoon Prayers

Outdoor Class

Kabul

Co-education

Gas Station

Afternoon Shade

Balloon Boy

Annual Exhibition Of Student Art Work

Vip

Afghanistan

All Dressed Up

Skinny Tie

Hotel Inter-continental

Sight Seeing

Detail On Arch

Dr. Podlich & The Afghans

Fully Loaded

Indoor Class

Bamiyan Buddah Statue

Shave And A Haircut

Kabul International

Walking Home

Military Band

Mosque In The Center Of Kabul

Portable Grand Stand

Shopping For Canned Goods

The Dance

Main Street

People & Ducks

Masked Parade

Monument

Cookin' Kababs

Swimming In The Kabul River

Algebra & Mud

Apartments & Stores

School's Out

Marching

Road Work

New Years Celebration

Guard Duty

Afghan Army

The Demonstration

Games

LMA

LMA