19 Rare Photos of 1970s Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion

The Middle East, as we know it today, is most certainly not what it was back in the 70s and 80s. While today, we are all too familiar with the terrifying stories that service men and women come home with from weary tours of those countries, there still exists a different stack of stories from those who remember what life was like before the Islamic revolution.

And because most of us were not there, and likely many of us were not alive during that time period, we wanted to make this list of show you just how drastically things have changed, and that under it all, we humans are not so different. No matter where we are born, no matter where we live, we are all still just silly people trying to make our way in this world. So settle in and try not to be too shocked, the last thing you need is your boss bumbling towards you stammering something about wasted man-hours.

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via Tengri_99
To think that this was once a place that was visited by western tourists seems almost unimaginable today, but in the day to day of 1970s Afghanistan it was simply part and parcel. We hope that the lady on the right bought the scarf she was trying on. It looks really cozy.
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With the rapid progress of the female empowerment movement over the last 40 years, it is almost mind-bending to look at a photograph from 50 years ago and to see women walking around in trousers as opposed to skirts. And even at that you might notice the religious woman, who while being dressed in traditional Muslim clothing, is not covering her head. Potential proof that time might not be linear.
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via amarMohamedkhan