American vlogger’s experience of travelling in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan sparks diverse reactions on social media

Part six of Snyder’s video series exploring Taliban-controlled areas in Afghanistan shows Snyder walking around in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the third largest city in the country. He can be seen being escorted by armed members of the Taliban.

Next, he speaks about how he hired a private taxi driver to see some of the sites in the city. He says they were at a Taliban house and he realised that everything works according to their schedule. He said it was standard procedure even if it made them a little nervous.

Watch Part 1 here.

Snyder visited the Mosque of Nine Cupolas or the Haji Piyada Mosque in northern Afghanistan, constructed in the latter part of the ninth century, two centuries after Islam’s founding, and just after its introduction in Central Asia.

The nine cupolas that formerly covered the mosque are the source of its other name, Noh Gumbad. The old materials caused these brick domes to fall. Of the arches that supported them, just one remains intact. The Samanid and Abbasid styles’ motifs are combined in the stucco decoration that is still carved onto the arch and piers. Haji Piyada was rediscovered in the 1960s, and although some research was done in the early 1970s due to the upheaval in Afghanistan, not much has been done in the last few decades.

He keeps mentioning that whenever he goes, he has to be escorted by the Taliban people. He’s just, “going with the flow,” and “rolling in with the punches.” Then he mentions despite them behaving “nice”, the sight of how women and children live in Afghanistan currently can be a really “sombering experience”.

In the next few clips, Snyder shows huge swings in the middle of Balkh province which he says is a random tourist site. A traditional lunch followed, which included Kabuli pulao, lamb stew, bread, yoghourt and some vegetables. He ended the video by sharing how the dining experience sitting on the floor was nice.

Watch Part 6 here.

The video has gained 1,000 views now. Here’s how some social media users reacted to it. One user wrote, “These are so interesting. How I feel for the women there.” Another user wrote, “How do you know who you can even trust out there?!!! 🤯 Just go with the flow I suppose.” A third use commented, “Taliban House sounds like a great pitch for an HGTV show. “Today we’re installing the swing.”

The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, two decades after being ousted by US forces. Since then, they’ve imposed strict measures, particularly targeting women’s rights, and have shown negligence towards providing basic services.

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