Unseen Afghanistan in nine stunning photos

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“Whatever countries I conquer in the world, I would never forget your beautiful gardens. When I remember the summits of your beautiful mountains, I forget the greatness of the Delhi throne.”

Thus did Ahmad Shah Durrani, the 18th century warrior-poet considered the first ruler of modern Afghanistan, describe his homeland.

However, the West has long seen the Asian nation through the lens of its colonial-era nickname - the graveyard of empires, a place of violence and destruction.

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High-profile conflicts with the Soviet Union in the 1990s and the US-led coalition in the 2000s have done little to improve Afghanistan’s global image - but the country is much more than its troubled history.

“Afghanistan's spectacular beauty stuns most foreigners who visit primed to expect violence, suffering and terrible poverty,” says The Guardian.

Click on the gallery to see nine photos that show an Afghanistan very different from that depicted on the evening news - an incomparably beautiful land of mountains, lakes and deserts, home to a diverse array of people.