Rare photographs of Afghanistan from the 1950s and 1960s

 

This is Afghanistan of the 1950s and 1960s. Many people would think that they would see pictures of a wild, undeveloped and medieval country where living conditions are worse than they are now. think again.

Affected by centuries of internal conflict and foreign interference, Afghanistan took several possible steps towards modernization in the mid-20th century.

In the 1950s and 1960s, some of the greatest progress was made toward a more liberal and Western lifestyle, while trying to maintain respect for the more conservative factions.

Although officially a neutral nation, Afghanistan was influenced and influenced by the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, acknowledging Soviet machinery and weapons, and the U.S. financial help.

This time was a brief, relatively peaceful era when modern buildings were built alongside the old traditional earthen structures in Kabul, when the burqa became optional for a time, and the country moved towards a more open, prosperous society. was starting to grow.

Progress was halted in the 1970s, as a series of bloody coups, invasions and civil wars began, which continue to this day, reversing almost all the steps towards modernization in the 50s and 60s.