Summary

Warwick Ball spent nearly 10 years in Afghanistan in the 1970s and 1980s, and was Acting Director of the British Institute of Afghan Studies when the Soviet occupation finaly forced him to depart. As well as Afghanistan, he has travelled and excavated extensively throughout the Middle East. Author of many books on the history and archaeology of the region, including the *Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan* (currently being prepared for a new edition) and *The Monuments of Afghanistan* (to be published in April).

Full Description

For his talk as part of the Reel Afghanistan festival Warwick will draw from his experiences to explore Afghanistan’s incredibly rich heritage. As a junction between East and West, Afghanistan has played host to many of the great civilisations of antiquity, from Alexander’s Greeks to the Mughal Empire. The rugged and often bleak landscape is littered with the vestiges of civilisations past, Afghanistan is one of the few places where lost cities are still found.

The Media today presents us with a picture of a country incapable of helping itself, torn apart by ethnic and religious feud. However Afghanistan is also a repository of a fascinating and diverse cultural history. To fully understand the Afghanistan of today it is vital to appreciate the past that formed it.