Afghanistan in 1960s

The peaceful hues of 1960s Afghanistan paint a far different picture of the country embroiled with corruption and struggle. In 1967, Arizona State University professor Dr. Bill Podlich and his family swapped the stark, sultry summers of Tempe, Arizona for the environs of Kabul, Afghanistan. After serving in World War II, Podlich wanted to partake in a cause for peace and for that reason, he teamed up with UNESCO to work for two years at the Higher Teachers College of Kabul, Afghanistan. With him were his children, Jan and Peg, along with his wife Margaret.
When not developing relationships with his Afghani cohorts, Podlich developed his Kodachrome film, capturing a modernizing and peaceful Afghanistan that belies the harrowing images and thoughts associated with the war-torn country we see today. That is why, in Peg Podlich’s eyes, her father’s photos are so incredibly important. Says Podlich, these photos “can encourage folks to see Afghanistan and its people as they were and could be. It is important to know that we have more in common with people in other lands than what separates us.”

The Podlich sisters in the Paghman Gardens.

Afghani men out for a picnic.

Peg Podlich on a trip from Kabul to Peshawar, Pakistan

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Dr. Bill Podlich on a hillside in Kabul

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A Buddha statue in Bamiyan Valley. In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the two largest ones

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Men looking over Istalif, a centuries-old center for pottery.

Men and boys enjoying the waters of the Kabul river

An Afghan boy decorating cakes

Jan Podlich during a shopping trip in Istalif.

A Senior English class at the American International School of Kabul

Young students in a playground

Students at the Higher Teachers College of Kabul where Dr. Podlich taught for two years with UNESCO

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An Afghani military band

An Afghan Army parade through Kabul

Parking lot of the American International School of Kabul

Afghan girls coming home from school. Both Afghan boys and girls were educated until the high school level

Peg Podlich arriving in Kabul

For more pictorial essays on 1960s Afghanistan, head over to the Denver Post. And if you enjoyed this post on 1960s Afghanistan, be sure to see All That Is Interesting’s posts on the haunting faces of Afghanistan and staggering photos of abandoned Detroit!