A sepia photograph shows tents and soldiers sitting in a field in the foreground with a stone citadel in the background. A sepia photograph shows tents and soldiers sitting in a field in the foreground with a stone citadel in the background.

At the Crossroads: Qandahar in Images and Empires features the earliest known photographs of Qandahar, Afghanistan, taken between 1880 and 1881 at the end of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Today, they offer insights into the region, its local populations, and its rich cultural traditions.

We invite you to explore a free publication, an online preview of images, and stories related to this project, which were developed by Getty in partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

DIGITAL PUBLICATION

Available for free in English with Dari and Pashto translations.

ONLINE PREVIEW

Explore select images up-close.

CURRENT REFLECTIONS

Why these photographs matter for audiences today.

Images: (Banner) No. 49. Artillery Square Showing the Main Bastion of the Citadel (detail). 1881. Benjamin Simpson. Kandahār album. Albumen print. Getty Research Institute, 2013.R.5

(Online Preview) No. 33. Group of Parsiwans (detail). 1881. Benjamin Simpson. Kandahār album. Albumen print. Getty Research Institute, 2013.R.5

(Current Reflections) No. 1. Tomb of Ahmed Shah, from the Southwest Bastion of the Citadel (detail). 1881. Benjamin Simpson. Kandahār album. Albumen print. Getty Research Institute, 2013.R.5

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