Chaffetz .:. A journey through Afghanistan

Chaffetz, David,
A journey through Afghanistan. A memorial. Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 1981. IX, 258 Seiten. Broschur. Grossoktav. 228 x 152 mm.

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Bestell-Nr.158908 | ISBN: 0-226-10063-4

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Chaffetz | Reisen | Expeditionen | Abenteurer | Zentralasien | Afghanistan | Ethnologie | Voelkerkunde

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This book recounts a young American's journey through the lonely, hermetic world of the Afghan nomads—a world now shaken by a war that has brought great suffering and change "to a people who thought themselves hardened to any fate." Visiting Afghanistan shortly before the invasion, David Chaffetz and a companion slipped from the protection of Western culture and immersed themselves in the customs, fears, and hopes of the Afghan people. The story of Chaffetz's experiences, told in vividly descriptive prose, reveals more about the Afghan people than do most books written about Afghanistan under Soviet rule.

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CONTENTS
Hesitations & Alarms ix

1. Portals to a Land 1
Islam Qala 1
Dasht, Bagh, Bazaar 9
Days and Nights in a Fasting Season 19
Celebrating the Feast 40

2. Waiting for Transfer
Afghan Truck 49
Light 54
Samovar Talk 55
The Div's Castle 62
At the Ball 67
On the Steppe 76

3. On Pilgrimage 87
Mazar-I-Sharif 87
Graves of Giants 94
The Cave of the Sleepers 97


4. Heart of an Oasis 109
The Old City 109
A Grand Gesture 119
A Keepsake 125
Holiday Bath 127
Abraham's Sacrifice 129

5. On Horseback 137
Ganj Bazaar 137
Kabud, Ablaq 142
Riding Out 146

6. The Journey 167
Eastward 174
On the Road 185
The Storm 204
Prophetic Talk 213
Under the Earth 219

7. In the Valley
A very Small World 219
By the Riverside 222
Life of the Tribes 226
A Strange Ritual 232
The Shah of Mashhad 239

8. Leaving Afghanistan 245
A Handful of Dust 245
Madmen 248
Echoes & Apologies 251

Glossary 255

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