Comments from Khaled Hosseini, best selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns and the newly released And The Mountains Echoed (May 2013):
“For years now, Afghanistan has become synonymous with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and terrorism. But it wasn’t always so. For most of the previous century, Afghanistan lived in peaceful anonymity. It was a magnet for travelers who came to see the rugged beauty of the land, to walk along the old Silk Route, and to meet its kind and hospitable people. Joe Hoyt’s lens gloriously brings back this bygone Afghanistan. In his photos, we get a glimpse of a land that was once a meeting point of cultures, a link between east and west. He captures the raw, ethereal beauty of this land, a taste of its prosperous history, and the unique spirit of its proud and resilient people. What’s more, looking at Hoyt’s photographs of this happier era, the suffering and tumult that the Afghan people have endured since is made more personal. The toll of the tragedy becomes palpable. This is testament to Hoyt’s skills as a photographer as well as his personal affection for this war-scarred land and its people.”
Ambassador Said T. Jawad, Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States – 2003-2010:
“At first glance, Joseph Hoyt’s black and white photos may conjure up thoughts of a grim Afghanistan torn apart by war and poverty. But we mustn’t allow the backdrop of the present to wash away the memories of a peace prosperous period in Afghanistan’s past. Look a little closer at these truly illuminating photographs and you will catch a glimpse of that which makes Afghanistan so captivating: the pride of its people, the richness of its culture and the stunning beauty of its countryside.”
Comments of Dr. Michael L. Carlebach, University of Miami photographic historian
“… the work is reminiscent of August Sander’s great Westphalen portraits from between World Wars I and II. … one is left with powerful feelings of nostalgia and remorse.”
Editor of the project Afghanistan Old Photos Mr. Ziai Khalid of Limoges, France:
“… this work succeeds in preserving the memory of a cultural heritage which is disappearing today. It is astonishing to see the harmony of the various Afghan ethnic groups living according to traditions now forgotten.”
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