Afghanistan's bittersweet oasis

Removed from the country's violence is a small area that remains an anomaly of peace

Wakhan Corridor
(Image credit: (Benjamin Rasmussen))
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(Image credit: (Benjamin Rasmussen))

(Image credit: (Benjamin Rasmussen) Photographer Benjamin Rasmussen learned of the region from his sister-in-law, who had worked in northern Afghanistan. Intrigued by the prospect of capturing a differ)

(Benjamin Rasmussen)

(Image credit: (Benjamin Rasmussen))

(Benjamin Rasmussen) Rasmussen says he was struck by both the region's geography and history. The sheer size of the mountains that tower over the gaping valleys, for example, are intensely humbling. But in a place that has traditionally had little access to education, he quickly learned the value of "mountain smarts.""I spent some days with a small group of Wakhi herders, who looked after hundreds of sheep, but had no schooling," Rasmussen says. "They couldn't use math to add up how many sheep were in their herd, but they knew the herd so intimately they could tell if one was missing. One evening, they went off to search for a missing lamb. When I asked how they knew it was missing, they said it was because there was a ewe without her lamb. They came back several hours later with it."

(Image credit: : (Benjamin Rasmussen))

(Image credit: (Benjamin Rasmussen) In a country that is mostly painted negatively in the Western press — oppression of women, deaths of American soldiers, repeated incursions by Taliban and other mili)

(Benjamin Rasmussen) **To see more of Benjamin Rasmussen's work, check out his website, and follow him on Twitter**

Sarah Eberspacher
Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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