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  • The Christian Science Monitor

    Old Kabul reborn: Art, culture, and a rare ray of light

    Oct 11, 2017 5 minutes
    Nathan Stroupe, Afghanistan country director for Turquoise Mountain, stands in the courtyard on Sept. 24 of one of the 112 buildings the British charity has restored so far to create an institute for Afghan artisans to revitalize their heritage, in Kabul's historical Murad Khani district. More than 500 artisans have graduated from Turquoise Mountain specializing in traditional crafts such as woodworking, jewelry-making and gem cutting, ceramics, and elaborate calligraphy.

    In her heart, Ramzia Sarwary-Khorami always wanted to make jewelry. But the path to success in Afghanistan is narrow, especially for a woman, no matter how intrepid or ambitious.

    Then on the radio a decade ago, she heard about a new urban reclamation project in Murad Khani, one of Kabul’s poorest historic neighborhoods, backed by a charity called Turquoise Mountain.

    The project also aimed to resurrect the disappearing arts of Afghan culture. Jewelry and gem cutting were on the list.

    Ms. Sarwary-Khorami signed up with Turquoise Mountain and learned soldering, sandpapering metals and stones, and the secrets of the six cultures of Afghan jewelry making.

    “I found my dreams,” says Sarwary-Khorami, who now works as a teacher and quality controller for the charity and sells her own creations through high-end jewelry designers in London –

    Reclamation projectChanging views of Afghanistan'Intangible heritage'

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