Winner of the Tata Literature Live First Book Award for Non-Fiction 2020
Shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award 2021

‘A fabulous piece of writing… I recommend it unreservedly’ William Dalrymple

‘A brilliant book’ Christina Lamb

One of the first things I was told when I arrived in Kabul was never to walk…

When journalist Taran Khan arrives in Kabul, she uncovers a place that defies her expectations. Her wanderings with other Kabulis reveal a fragile city in a state of flux: stricken by near-constant war, but flickering with the promise of peace; governed by age-old codes but experimenting with new modes of living.

Her walks take her to the unvisited tombs of the dead, and to the land of the living – like the booksellers, archaeologists, film-makers and entrepreneurs who are remaking this 3,000-year-old city. And as NATO troops begin to withdraw from the country, Khan watches the cycle of transformation begin again.

‘A wonderful journey’ Atiq Rahimi

‘Khan illuminates [Kabul’s] life-affirming humanity’ TLS