Honor Matters
Pashtunwali - The Code of the Pashtuns
I heard it said by a Pashtun that he has been a Pashtun for 5,000 years, a Muslim for 1430 years, and a Pakistani for 63 years. That is the power of the Pashtun identity, one of the oldest and largest ethnic/tribal groups in the world.
Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1992. A group of Pashtun tribal nomads called Kuchis in the desert near Kandahar.
Forty million strong, Pashtuns mainly live in the Pashtun tribal belt which straddles the Afghan/Pakistan border.
Farmer, Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1992
The legal and moral code by which they live, deeply embedded in the Pashtun psyche, is the concept of Pashtunwali, the idea that honor, hospitality, revenge, and the importance of tribe, clan, and family are paramount.
Kabul, Afghanistan, 2002
Pakistan, 1984. Afghan Pashtun Refugees
Fierce fighters, they are said to have been reluctantly admired by the British, Russians, and any other group who tried to subdue them.
Kandahar, 1985
It is said that they are today’s Spartans in a culture that lives and breathes war and conflict.
Kandahar, 1992
The attempt to extend the influence of a national government is antithetical to the Pashtun ways of living. Outsiders are rejected violently if they threaten to usurp the ancient ways.
Young girl, Ghazni, Afghanistan, 1990
In order to understand current events in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is imperative to understand the mores of this ancient tribe.
Kabul, 2002
Kilns firing bricks to rebuild homes, Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1992
January 10, 2013 at 05:09
Your pictures always remind me again, that the world is so full of precious beautiful people.
September 4, 2011 at 19:39
Legendary post, I enjoy this spectacular site,I found you along freshly pressed!
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April 8, 2011 at 16:26
Steve,
These are such amazing images!These are rare and terrific.Now Iam reading ‘AThosand Splendid Suns’ and I have already found my Moriom, my Tariq…….!I can feel their tragedy through your pictures. Regards,
Barnali
January 1, 2011 at 05:19
Dear Steve,
Your photography is magical in colors and human spirit.
Your consistency startling.
It was and always will be a great honor to having seen your color slides of Afghanistan up close and personal.
The Gulf War slides were rich in human destruction of our planet.
Thank you.
Your images are worth millions.
Love your Melbourne friend, Anne
Happy New Year 2011.
January 1, 2011 at 05:17
Dear Steve,
Your photography is magical in colors and human spirit.
Your consistency startling.
Having worked for you previously in New York, it was a great honor to see your color slides of Afghanistan up close and personal.
Thank you.
Your images are worth millions.
Love your Melbourne friend, Anne
Happy New Year 2011.
November 22, 2010 at 23:48
Extremely good.
July 18, 2010 at 14:18
You know what Steve, your exhibit in Birmingham was great to see and been very popular, but I can’t help feeling that there are so many more images of greater depth that you could show.
Is it possible to run a series in Birmingham over the course of a year: I would love to see your harder Afghan images there. Not only are they beautifully shot and processed, but they clearly tell an amazing story of life there and of the impact we in the West are having.
June 4, 2010 at 00:55
Steve, I looked at your photographs and they are stunning – well done!!
Thank you!
Jan
June 2, 2010 at 02:16
Inspiring, stunning, moving, Eyes are truly the windows into the soul.
May 31, 2010 at 05:02
La fotografia es algo tan hermoso, bello , tan emotivo y usted capturo cada esencia de las personas, paisajes, que tramite cada sentimiento, Gracias por compartir tan bellisimo trabajo, Es admirable y mas, Gracias por permitirme viajar a tantos lugares hermosos, por tramitir esos sentimientos que los seres humanos nacimos con ellos pero atra vez del tiempo se nos olvidan.
May 16, 2010 at 17:58
hi Steve i have been great admirer of all your work but specially of the Afghan/pashtun people since i my self am a pashtun. i am looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future
May 15, 2010 at 23:53
Hello steve, its yr friend anne writing to you from australia, cheeras and greetings me…..I love yr work in the Middle East xox
May 3, 2010 at 22:55
Steve, these are such amazing images and thank you for going into the Pashtun. Thank you so much for posting them!
April 30, 2010 at 03:35
Hi Steve,
What a wonderful representation of the Pashtun identity, one of the oldest and largest ethnic/tribal groups in the world. The photographs are rare and just terrific.
Many many thanks for showing their world which we may not know without your photographs.
Regards.
Partha Pal, India
April 26, 2010 at 00:16
Amazing, those photos that were taken in the 80′s was just like it was taken yesterday, TIMELESS…
April 24, 2010 at 07:16
Thank you for the write-up Steve
Some really thoughtful and understanding comments recieved
it brings commonsense to the equation!
I’ve come across your first image with the men in Khandahar a few times now and have wondered – are these men simply resting or are the conducting ‘sallah’?
I can see the portrait of the young girl from the famous city – named after ‘Sultan Mahmood Ghazni’ being a story in itself – with National Geographic mounting some form of search.
Once again ta very muchly for the write-up. You must miss Afghanistan!
Musa
April 24, 2010 at 05:26
Amazing and beautiful photos as always!
Thank you.
April 23, 2010 at 10:38
I loved the image of the young girl Ghazni! great job!
April 22, 2010 at 20:59
Steve!
Thanks for all pictures and story behind the pictures.We all learning from your work.
Mayby something abouth Varanasi and India for next time?
Un saludo
Neven
April 22, 2010 at 00:10
Each image tells such a powerful story…
April 21, 2010 at 15:54
Great stories and images. WordPress and blog’s like Steve’s has become the new magazines of our times. Now, if we can only figure out how to make a living doing what we love.
April 21, 2010 at 13:30
The images are fantastic and a great visual insight as to who they are as a people. Thanks for the post!
April 21, 2010 at 12:45
This images are incredible.
April 21, 2010 at 11:58
Thanks for your nice lessons
great images
April 21, 2010 at 10:55
Hi Steve,
I always like your blog. Great story & nice pics.
Thanks for sharing.
April 21, 2010 at 10:17
Hi. Mesmerizing images. Pushtans seem to live in another age and time – which adds to their charm.
April 21, 2010 at 09:54
Steve, if this is really your official blog, thanks for showing these great photos and telling about the rich history that they illustrate.
April 21, 2010 at 04:16
These photos are simply amazing. Thanks for sharing about the Pashtuns, too–the Western world seems to get so caught up in the modern boundaries of states that it forgets most of the world wasn’t carved out that way.
April 20, 2010 at 22:40
Great images and story.. thanks!
April 20, 2010 at 22:05
[...] Un billet à lire et regarder. [...]
April 20, 2010 at 21:26
Incredibly strong beauty of your portraits, all of them.
April 20, 2010 at 21:14
Thanks for sharing…Great blog!
April 20, 2010 at 20:12
Thanks for all the great pictures and primarily thanks for the story behind the pictures!
April 20, 2010 at 19:21
Thank you.
April 20, 2010 at 19:09
Just another amazement of your talent in shouting in silence … the first shot is truly impressive.
Beside all such masterpieces, I’m also looking forward a series of your earliest photos of Asia, during the famous first trip to India.
Best regards
Ehsan
April 20, 2010 at 19:03
Hauntingly beautiful blog!!!!
April 20, 2010 at 18:15
I am soooo thankful to come across this blog! Wow. I’ve seen your images through the years and finding them all woven here together is so inspiring. Thanks!
April 20, 2010 at 17:02
This is one of my favorite series you’ve posted, for the insight into a culture I’ve never “seen” and the wonderful character of the photos. The “young girl’ reminds me of your most famous image. I love the way her elbow juts forward to match the intensity of her expression.
April 20, 2010 at 16:43
I simply enjoyed reading and viewing your post.
April 20, 2010 at 16:31
Wow. This is really nice. I’m a pushtoon and its awesome to read positive stuff about us for a change
April 20, 2010 at 16:25
wow – these images say it all! this is a great post.
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April 20, 2010 at 15:45
I just spent quite awhile oohing and awing over your other photographs on your web site: http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php
Wow. I would love to be a photographer, but I can’t say I’d love to be in the places you’ve been to get the great shots you’ve gotten.
April 20, 2010 at 15:42
Another fantastic blog post……thank you so much. If having the most beautiful photographs were not enough, your insights into the people you photograph and how they are affected by events that make us all shake our heads in disbelief, are invaluable.
April 20, 2010 at 15:30
Thank you Steve for another post that challenges racial, ethnic, and religious intolerance. I am touched most by the picture of the man and boy who are both amputees, ravaged by war, who stay their ground smiling…
One can not kill indomitable spirit; indomitable faith. Stephanie Alt, MS
April 20, 2010 at 15:27
I’m guessing that as well as oldest and largest ethnic groups, we could also add most misunderstood.
April 20, 2010 at 15:10
Stunning images…absolutely gorgeous! The image of the Farmer and the Young Girl took my breath away. Thank you for sharing.
April 20, 2010 at 14:55
Hi Steve,
I have a very long list of notable Indian Pashtuns, few of them are former president of India Dr. Zakir Hussain, famous actors like Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan), Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Irfan Pathan, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is also Nawab of Pataudi state.
There are a large number of Pashtuns settled in North India, it will be interesting to find how and when they moved to India and from where.
They are respected for their “Words”.
Regards,
-Pawan
April 20, 2010 at 14:34
Oh, congratulations on being on the wordpress homepage!
April 20, 2010 at 14:34
Beautiful pictures. Especially love the portrait of the farmer near the top. Thanks for the insight into how these people live and think. It’s amazing how many of them there are — 40 million! Wow.
Gloris
April 20, 2010 at 14:29
Wow, such a simple and powerful post. Thank you Steve. Gerry had it spot on above.
April 20, 2010 at 14:16
very cool, very nice!!!
April 20, 2010 at 13:58
Dear Steve,
as I mentioned before on other post of you, they have another view of moral and ethical view than the western have. It is difficult to believe that democratization could be adapted on such culture. Who are we, who wants to change they way of life? Again beautiful images as always.
best,
Jos Runarka
April 20, 2010 at 13:54
Having read and enjoyed your blog and pictures, I wonder all the more why we are fighting in Afghanistan?
April 20, 2010 at 13:33
The pictures on your blog continue to mesmerize. You allow me a very personal glimpse into haunting faces from cultures which I would never have gotten to see otherwise.
April 20, 2010 at 13:26
Steve
Thanks for the wonderful images, but more importantly for helping me understand, in a single blog, more about the Pashtun than I ever have before. Are you still able to access these proud people?
Gerry
April 20, 2010 at 13:31
Gerry,
Thanks for reading my blog. Yes, I have many Pashtun friends in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Best,
Steve