Life before the Taliban: Fascinating photos show short skirts, flash cars and no burkas before Afghanistan plunged into hell

The collection was shot by university professor Dr. Bill Podlich from Arizona during a two-year stint with Unesco

• The amateur photographer set out to document the serene way of life in Afghanistan featuring locals and scenery
• Images include school pupils happily playing, a smiling boy decorating cakes, and people swimming in the river
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By BECKY PEMBERTON FOR MAILONLINE

These fascinating photographs from Afghanistan in the 1960s are a far cry from the war-torn images in the news today. 

The eye-opening collection was captured by university professor Dr Bill Podlich from Arizona, who swapped life in America to travel to Kabul with his wife, Margaret, and two teenage daughters, Jan and Peg. 

Using his Kodachrome film, his images show a peaceful Afghanistan making strides towards a more liberal and Westernised lifestyle - a stark contrast to harrowing sights seen during Taliban regime. 

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Fun in the sun: Jan (left) and Peg (right) Podlich at Paghman Gardens, which was destroyed during the years of war before the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan

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Friends: Pictured are Afghan girls coming home from school. The girls, as well as boys, were educated up to the high-school level, and although both sexes wore uniforms, the girls were not allowed to wear a chadri on their way to secondary school. Able young women attended college, as did the men

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Hanging out: Hoards of happy citizens gather on large trucks, which served as portable grandstands

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Peaceful: Men relax in the shade overlooking Istalif, a centuries-old centre for pottery, located northwest of Kabul

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Family bond: Two colourful sisters, hand in hand, pose for a photograph in Kabul, surrounded by trading locals

The idyllic images were captured in 1967, when the teacher teemed up with Unesco to work in the Higher Teachers College of Kabul.

As well as building a relationship with the Afghans he encountered, the amateur photographer set out to document their way of life.

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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3404803/Life-Taliban-Fascinating-photographs-idyllic-Afghanistan-1960s-residents-free-enjoy-outdoor-picnics-colourful-markets.html#ixzz3xdaGmwIW
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