Afghanistan’s cultural heritage is among the richest in the world. Over the past 6,000 years, the region has played host to Bronze Age civilizations, the birth of fire-worshiping Zoroastrianism, the collision of East and West which generated the first ever representations of the Buddha as a human, and generations of brilliant Islamic architects, miniature artists and calligraphers. Join experienced Afghanistan leader, Gary Wintz, on his fifth trip to this magnificent country as we set out to explore its historical legacy and understand more about its likely future.

The trip begins with an orientation in Dubai before flying to Kabul, a natural choice for settlement since antiquity. Accompanied by staff from the Aga Khan Foundation, explore Babur’s Gardens – a terraced and walled open space containing the tomb of the Emperor Babur. The gardens feature the remains the first Moghul “Paradise Garden” and are the predecessor of many famous imperial gardens in South Asia. Explore the wonderful National Museum whose history has seen much destruction but has re-opened with a fine collection. Briefings in Kabul include Pajhwok Afghan News, an independent news agency based in Kabul, and a meeting with Ahmad Nader Nadery, the country's most prominent human-rights activist and recipient, at the age of twenty-eight, of the 2004 Reebok Human Rights Award.

Fly west to Herat, a culturally rich city known for its architecture, music, painting and poetry. Under Timur’s son, Shah Rukh, the city became one of the greatest centers of medieval Islamic culture and learning. Explore the old quarter where the Friday Mosque is one of Afghanistan’s architectural gems. A traditional tile workshop was reopened with grants from UNESCO and SPACH and the mosque is being slowly covered by brilliant blue mosaics. A network of bazaars radiate out from the mosque, selling traditional blue glass and carpets. Inside the Musalla complex, the towering achievement of Herat, Shah Rukh is buried under a flamboyant, ribbed dome of Persian blue. In Mazar-e Sharif, the tomb of Hazrat Ali - Mohammed’s son-in-law - is set in a large courtyard surrounded by a rhapsody of turquoise mosaics.

Enjoy a spectacular drive through rust-red gorges and green valleys to Bamiyan, located in the heart of the Hindu Kush. For centuries pilgrims and traders thronged to Bamiyan, a central point in the chain of oases along the Silk Road. Mourn in silence the destruction of the two giant Buddhas. Their absence is notable but their shadowed presence remains strong. Visit the Band-e Amir Lakes, the largest of which is a sheet of sapphire and turquoise water lined with yellow and pink cliffs. Enjoy one of the most evocative border crossings in the world as our route winds up and down the spectacular Khyber Pass into Pakistan’s North-West Frontier. Admire the priceless collection of Gandharan art at the Peshawar Museum before driving to the fertile valley of Swat. Buddhism flourished here before leaving behind a legacy of beautiful sculpture. Visit the ancient site of Taxila before returning home from Islamabad.