BBC remembers Afghanistan's Zhvandun Magazine

Produced and circulated mostly in Kabul, Zhandun was a magazine for the privileged in Afghanistan
for decades since most of the population at the time was illiterate. First beginning in the 1920s,
the magazine survived the transition of monarchy to republic, the Saur Revolution and the Soviet
invasion in 1979. However, it’s downfall came after the defeat of the Soviet Union in the 1990s
followed by the growth of the Taliban.

Monica Whitlock, the author of the article, states, “Those were chaotic times and many writers,
printers and readers fled the country. The rise of the Taliban meant that many never returned and
this valuable social record disappeared”.

Many of the pictures resemble those in western magazines in the 20th century.
There are fashion spreads with colorful clothes, portraits of families, advertisements
as well as photos of sports teams for both men and women. For those who grew up
not knowing Afghanistan has a Taliban-controlled war zone, these photos are quite an
eye opener to what life was once like there. Zhvandun can be seen as an interesting mix of
history, pop culture, fashion and frivolity frozen in time.

(5 images, 1 link, 1 quotation, 188 words)