タリバン支配下のアフガニスタンへの入国（2025年）

タリバン支配下のアフガニスタンへの入国（2025年）

Afghanistan for decades its name has echoed through the headlines on my orders the United States military has begun strikes in Afghanistan in Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan war collapse extremism a country often reduced to chaos and conflict but we are here to show you another side behind the headlines lies another story the side where people wake up make tea feed doves and invite strangers in and of everyday life that rarely makes the news a place where culture tradition and small acts of kindness endure quietly far from the glare of the world’s cameras over the next two weeks we’ll travel from Mazar-i-Sharif to Kabul stopping in towns villages and mountains along the way not to repeat the story of war but to witness the rhythms of daily life to discover the human side of Afghanistan the side the world rarely sees we’re traveling with let’s be Friends Afghanistan the organization that supported us with visas and arranged a car and driver for the entire trip traveling in Afghanistan can be expensive and difficult to organize on your own which is why we chose to work with them we’ll leave their link in the description for anyone who’s interested in learning more good morning we just woke up in the Hilton Hotel which is the only place here interestingly placed on the border with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and the border is right over there so we’re getting ready now to walk from this very luxurious place to a country that is not that easy to travel in we don’t this was the first time that I’ve ever stayed in the Hilton this hotel is in this special economic zone in between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan so you can see already a lot of people from the Taliban here there were also a lot of people from the Taliban staying in the hotel from here we now have to walk for 20 minutes to the border checkpoint and I’ve read a lot of stories online about the Taliban being very hard on the check that they go through your phone and that they even go through your hidden albums so I really checked very well on my phone that there’s no like nudity or any nudity of women on my phone so hopefully all goes well so now we’re on the bridge between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and we have to walk to the other checkpoint and this bridge is called the Friendship Bridge but actually it was built for war in 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and this bridge was their gateway carrying tanks fuels and supplies for a war that would drag on for a decade when they finally withdrew in 1989 they crossed back over the same bridge defeated in the middle of the bridge is also a train track because this bridge is used by Ngos to bring in goods and help into the country and it’s of course heavily fortified on both sides we’re almost at the other checkpoint so I think I cannot continue filming here so see you on the other side as we reach the checkpoint I kept the camera rolling in secret every look from the guards felt like they might notice my biggest worry was that they’d catch me filming and in a place like this that’s not something you want to risk thank you that was a lot easier than expected they didn’t ask anything we just went through in five minutes hello nice to meet you hi nice to meet you nice to meet you yes good it’s interesting to have a Toyota and then it has it comes out of America after our first conversation with the guide I noticed that he calls the Taliban the
“T guys” it’s a way to talk about the Taliban without drawing attention so if anyone overhears it doesn’t sound like he’s discussing politics with foreigners and if our cameras are ever checked there’s no obvious trace that we were speaking about them do most hotels have this big Protection like with an iron big door is it still necessary to have a because it said that they have a guard with arms nice this is our hotel for today which is actually quite luxurious because it has an AC that’s all I need and now we’re gonna explore the city a little bit more as soon as you get into the car there’s always a lot of kids that come and ask for money but you can’t give to everyone and we also didn’t change our dollars yet so that’s what we’re gonna do now first now I’m gonna have a pack of money like this when he leaves here does he have to take all this money with him? in the west this would never be possible because they would definitely rob him to blend in a little bit more we’re gonna go and get some traditional clothing here that we’re gonna wear for the rest of the trip so I have to pick a colour now maybe something light like the light green maybe like the colour that he has maybe something like this almost almost how long does it take to make something then one and a/2 hour wow maybe I should get something like this I would get this maybe yes this is better yes no, it’s the same it is your skin color 9 dollar or not oh that’s very cheap now we’re going with him to make immediately clothing out of it I have to make so much decisions what is a very popular one yes that’s good that’s good looks pretty how do people here feel about foreigners that wear the traditional clothing from here do they like do they like see that as a form of respect towards them or do you feel like it’s maybe like culture appropriation do i have to stand like this? loose so for him 1,000 afghani and for you 700 afghani and we pick this up later or we pick this up tomorrow tomorrow ok that’s good great so we can pick it up tomorrow in the morning wearing traditional clothing isn’t required but it helps you blend in and avoid unwanted attention from the Taliban who enforce many rules in vlogs about Afghanistan viewers often ask why no women appear assuming it’s because they’re never allowed to leave their homes but that’s not the case we saw women everywhere out in public most without burkas some with half their hair showing and sometimes even with full faces of makeup the reason you don’t see them in videos is because it’s forbidden by the Taliban to film women of course their freedoms are still heavily restricted and many of their rights are denied but the reality is far more complex and also less extreme than the picture painted by western media this is the Blue Mosque also known as Hazrat Ali Shrine most people think Ali the Prophet’s cousin is buried in Najaf Iraq but many here believe he’s buried in this very spot today it’s the center of Mazar-i-Sharif in fact the city’s name itself means visiting the noble a direct reference to Ali so this is where I cannot enter right yeah I will take a circle around while you guys go in so all the videos you will see will be from Achraf because I cannot enter there as soon as I stepped in many people gathered around me asking if I was Muslim and when I confirmed, one of the Taliban granted me special permission to film inside the shrine it’s only the first day that I’m here in Afghanistan and I already feel very comfortable actually I feel very uh safe of course that is because I’m a man everyone has been very welcoming and friendly what is it for weighing what is it for your weight oh no no no I don’t need to know my weight no no thank you thank you how was it? very nice someone invited me to his house oh really that was quickly so he asked if what I think is better is Belgium or Afghanistan the people are more hospitable the the people I would say from Afghanistan are more friendly what do you do for a job do a lot of people here they go to Iran or to other countries to find work oh really you’re welcome to come very difficult in Belgium the visa is very difficult to get in Europe the Schengen visa it’s very unfair what do you like the most about about Afghanistan is this an important place for you to come to I read I read somewhere on the internet that people believe if if a pigeon of another colour lands here that they also become white ah like that white supremacy of the pigeons nice to meet you nice to meet you how do you say it in Dari? in front of the shrine there’s a lot of white pigeons all over and people believe that only white pigeons land here oh this is like the best chill spot in the whole uh in the whole city everyone is having a picnic here you can get some seeds here and throw them here and there’s so much sound coming from here I think they’re all underneath here oh yeah wow look how much they’re here they’re all nesting just under the floor here it’s very nice they’re very well taken care of yeah much better than the pigeons in Belgium hello where are you from from Belgium Belgium nice to meet you nice to meet you every single time when you move here with the car that there’s some kids that hang on the car like this so you’re just hanging he has to get out oh my God they really are hanging on the car constantly that’s very annoying oh that’s the most persistent kids that I’ve ever had is he going to catch them maybe put them in the trunk we’re going here for some of the traditional Afghan ice cream sheryakh so they scrape it off from the sides then, let’s try it wow it’s like a powder or something in there very good like nothing I’ve ever tasted good luck with your four stomachs getting to the hotel is a whole process it’s fortified with barbed wire and bulletproof doors to enter you pass through a narrow gate guarded by a man with an AK-47 then through another security door before you finally make it inside I’m very tired from this day and I just saw that they closed the big gate in front of the hotel there’s two guys with AK forty sevens that are standing there they stay there the whole night I do not think that that is necessarily still needed now it’s something from a few years ago since we’re the only people staying in this whole hotel it’s nice that we definitely feel safe see you in the morning we’re at the market from yesterday let’s see if our clothing is ready now good hello almost finished they’re still sewing it in the last things here very good and of course a photo as a souvenir I like to think it’s because we were such great customers we got this card from the store where it has a mannequin on the mannequin does not have a face because uh in Islam you cannot show any depiction of a person so it’s very funny that all these mannequins just have their head cut off like this also there too at the store yeah they call it he has to put them all in one by one very beautiful does it feel comfortable couple words in Dari and you’re assimilated and you get the passport bye bye bye next up we have to find some gilet or something to carry over it OK this one is good what’s the price of this and the price of this OK that’s 1200 can we do a together for a 1100 is that okay 11 yeah okay okay youness it’s good okay I like Youness that that sounds nice let’s see if we can find a scarf somewhere to cover my hair no no this is this is good this is good you’re gonna have to learn me how to tie it we need the professional I also need these big sunglasses how does this look? nice? I look Tunisian do you know how to put this OK yup good Achraf the amazigh youness the belgian we set out for the ancient city of Balkh in a region that is home mainly to Tajiks in Afghanistan Tajiks are often viewed as the backbone of armed resistance against the Taliban because of that travelling here isn’t simple a Taliban escort joined us officially for safety but also to control what we filmed and discussed wow it’s very beautiful Balkh was a city that was once taken by Alexander the great the first sight we see is the Haji Piyada mosque the oldest in Afghanistan where pilgrims once came to pray before leaving for Mecca before that was it also Buddhist sites here then? wow what a detail this is a lot less warm than before it’s so hot outside it’s 38 degrees I’m glad that I could change into this because these warm clothing from before still sweating from it don’t you feel like it’s much more practical than what we were wearing before like if it’s if it’s sunny then you can just like put this over and then the sun doesn’t burn you yeah it’s so much more versatile this for your ammo only what I need is now an AK-47 wow it’s not the easiest road to drive here we’re almost driving in the river here all the while the Talib shadowed our every move careful not to interfere but close enough to catch anything we might do or say oh what a beautiful view we have from here the city goes back to before Christ once a Silk Road powerhouse ruled by empires these walls were built to hold back invaders what’s left today are ruins but they still hint at its former power now you can see that they took some sand from here to probably build new houses so slowly this uh whole wall is caving in there’s some pieces here on the road here that already fell down all the way and here you can’t go any further anymore because here it already fell down behind me over there there’s also a guy on teh checkpoint with a gun who’s just watching over us the whole time is that actually ice cream oh nice oh that’s a random place to just in the middle of nowhere sell ice cream here I wish I could walk in these clothing every summer it’s so much more comfortable ah salam salam the whole time while we’re walking here we can’t really walk by ourselves a lot because the guy from the T Guys is walking with Achraf next to him now the whole time and that’s just everywhere we go that’s just how it is as a foreigner here oh that’s one of the biggest swings I’ve ever seen holy shit don’t oh don’t Jonathan, you fucking there’s some people having a picnic on top of the gate we arrived here at Charkent Gate which is the gateway to the Charkent Valley and this gate was used by the Soviets a long time ago when they invaded here in Afghanistan as a checkpoint and then after also during the civil war by the mujahideen so they would sit up on there because it’s so impenetrable that all the fighters from the Taliban they would come here and they could easily shoot them so they just wouldn’t be able to reach over these mountains and a lot of Taliban soldiers they died here oh that’s a very steep stair nice to find a picnic spot with a beautiful view it’s the perfect defense spot really because it’s just surrounded by two mountains and everyone was coming from there you can easily see you could shoot them from here at first the men sitting there questioned our guide in a hostile way demanding to know why we were filming the mood shifted once they realised we were just tourists only later did we learn they were Taliban very good very good very beautiful hahaha where are you from Mazar i Sherif? uh west is this place still used as a checkpoint too? if you if you manage to get a visa for Europe then you can but it’s very difficult very difficult yes yes yes where in which country would you like to go if you could go anywhere just to visit to hajj no it’s very different if I go like this to Belgium then people will not uh recognize me your ethnicity shapes almost every part of your life in Afghanistan it can decide your community your opportunities, and in many cases, your safety do you see a lot of foreign tourists nowadays here what do you think about foreign tourists coming to Afghanistan do you like that they come or in my house you can come to my house I don’t have a house I don’t have a house but if I would have a house you would come no no no it’s forbidden only if you’re police or if you’re a hunter police can but average people no like if you’re police or if you’re a hunter then you can get it otherwise no what about in Afghanistan can everyone can buy a gun if they want or what’s the rule no so they did some like sort of purge over the whole country to get all the guns from everyone yeah um a tricky question especially when it’s politics and the ones asking are the Taliban I don’t know it’s a difficult question I hope not no I I don’t think so I mean I don’t know you never know with America they always find a reason if they need something of course but I don’t know so if an american now travels here do you feel like uh are they welcome to travel here as a tourist yeah this I can write my WhatsApp on there too if you want I can I’m trying to type Youness I’m Youness 2 it’s out of there right wow it’s quite heavy to hold this actually there’s only two places where I’ve ever hold a gun and that’s in America and now in Afghanistan we came to the Big Bazaar here to see if we can find some oud this is probably it right? this thing this is nice already this also no this is too strong this is nice I wanna try the Al Jazeera magic I need some Al Jazeera magic in my life in between all the smells there’s some coffee beans that you can smell to deactivate the smell and now I can smell something again nice in only our first day in Afghanistan we were surprised by how different reality feels compared to what we heard abroad in just a short time we learned more than the media ever shows because while they focus on war life here is so much more and we’ve barely begun the road ahead will reveal even more you think backpackers fit in a Hilton? me too actually how are you? good, thank you, you? which country? Morocco where are you going? going to Mazar-I-Sharif tourism thank you hello Jonathan! Jalil? Achraf! how are you guys? this crossing that we did was that always open or is that..? yes always open even during the war as well nowadays they have the bazaar over there like uh without the visa we can uh go to the bazaar on the border where do they get like all the car shipments from nowadays? UAE and from UAE to Afghanistan in Afghanistan we need the most quality of the car because the roads are very tough that’s interesting that a car all all the way from Washington came here that one has Poland I told you you’ll see a lot of license plates from different countries is it forbidden to listen to music here? personally you can do it but at the check points, you put the volume down you can sing also? right now no it remained from the past you know nowadays it’s pretty quiet but yeah the guard is necessary $100 is 6,750 Afghani how much? 200 200? give me it will be, 30,500 thanks yeah, he takes it yeah that’s nice it’s like your eye color one and a half hour that’s also very nice you think this looks nice? with my skin color for each of you guys he’s gonna be charging you 600 afghani you guys get to pick the design oh designs they have that actually it’s like kind of uh respecting the tradition, as a tourist it’s not mandatory to wear it because the foreigners they’re just travelers and they’re just traveling here this is the best souvenir my knee is here loose or tight? yeah tomorrow ok thank you thanks as long as we follow the rules then we will not will not be in trouble if we don’t then yeah sure the main thing is we shouldn’t film or take photography from the military site or military base checkpoints or government office the second one the women that is very important things you know you guys are not allowed to interview someone about the politics things about the current situation about everything you guys are not allowed at all this is red line yeah this is the main shrine which they believe the tomb of Ali is here sorry about telling you that can I enter? uh you can do that yeah cause you’re Muslim so yeah right here, before the T guys took over the country people used to celebrate Nowruz the first day of the Afghan New Year but nowadays since the T guys took over the country they said no Nowruz is like festival of the non believers we got a lot of followers here he says there is a lack of job vacancies in here he do nothing just about 20 days he came from Iran he came after like 8 years there were a lot of people but nowadays because the Iranian government decided to take out the illegal immigrant after the war between the Israeli and Iranian government his cousin is living in Belgium for about
30 years can he take me to belgium? I didn’t go myself that i feel safe like in the hands of my mother no matter how long you’re out the country for you feel good as soon as you come back it’s prayer time, you either go to the mosque or leave here but we’re not bothering anyone I just came to the pigeons and brought them some seeds white pigeons don’t let the other colours amongst them white supremacy I welcome you guys to Afghanistan so this right now is peaceful no fighting nothing is going on you can travel for 24 hours with no problems with the taliban it’s safer than last government everything is good, besides the employment good bye Khodâfez oh my God he’s hanging on the back *redacted* they have the ice over there with the salt without the salt it doesn’t work they put milk inside and it’s frozen by the time he’s shaking and scraping it off thanks what does it taste like? and I’m lactose intolerant how are you man thanks you see all the faces are hidden and only the store owner’s picture is there it’s for just for design you know where’s the front or back it doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter yeah very comfortable, very loose okay, assimilated thanks nice it means makbulist makbulist thanks that fits nice 600 600 oh you should have gone for 1000 you have to choose your Muslim name now for the assimilation got a name for me? youness youness Jonathan, youness haidari this is arabic style mashallah like emiratis uae, you know uae? thanks you look like you’re from chechnya personally I think it looks very good now we can fully blend in at the beginning it was the Zoroastrian fire temple but when it’s in the 9th century when the Arabs came here converted the people to Islam then they turned it into a mosque yeah Buddhist site yeah we’ll take it from him he really loves his car we’re stopping because of the bad road yeah that’s ice cream this was built during the timurid era but the main gate or the arch is left the original one but the two sides are restored because it was totally destroyed during the Civil War assalamu alaikum wa alaikum salam I get why he’s screaming so much and now we’re gonna push harder are the roads here better or in Belgium better the same probably we also shake a lot do you want some tea? how’s Afghanistan? very good Spera west part of the country he’s the brother of the police headquarter commander in Mazar-I-Sharif thanks no no no no is it possible for me to go to Belgium? is it part of NATO? Saudi I immigrated to Iran and stayed there for 26 years right after the soviet union invaded Afghanistan do you wear that same type of clothes in Belgium? what’s that camera for? yeah they make youtube videos is he Uzbek or Hazara? (ethnic groups) Hazara does he (achraf) understand? where do you live? he in Mazar, and me in Kabul Kabul? you’re from Kabul? yeah especially in herat yeah that’s good if they come in here to see Afghanistan by their own because there are a lot of propaganda against Afghanistan in western countries or somewhere especially in the media they can also pass the message that Afghanistan is not how it is portrayed and I think people are very hospitable even the next even if you don’t have money for the next two years they’re gonna feed you if I come to Belgium are they gonna be hospitable? what about the weapons in Belgium like everyone can buy or no police only? since the Islamic Emirate take over the country that is very strict because they already searched every single houses for the weapons Is the old government or the new government better? how do you compare the previous government with the islamic emirate? I don’t wanna get shot here so what are you thinking about the future you think america will come back, or never again we are fine with that yeah if they come as a tourist or as a guest we welcome them no matter they’re muslim or not because they are our guest if they’re here for politics we don’t accept it and we hate their policy otherwise we welcome and host everyone they did so much bad, bombed our schools, our neighborhoods our weddings were bombed, picnics were bombed yeah he’s asking, for when you guys leave if he can be in touch with you guys on WhatsApp his son’s name is Youness selfie I don’t know it’s charged or not I’ll only send you these pictures once you leave the country thanks thank you, goodbye use your nose to find it what am i a dog? I mean you can smell it thanks great, now we smell again normal thank you bye

I crossed Into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in 2025.

On my very first day inside Afghanistan, I had to navigate checkpoints, restrictions, and conversations with Taliban fighters — all while trying to blend in by wearing local clothing.

In this vlog, I show you what it’s really like entering Afghanistan today. From buying traditional Afghan clothes to avoid attention, exploring the Blue Mosque in Mazar, traveling to Balkh, and speaking to local people, this video captures the tension and reality of daily life under Taliban rule.

This is not just another travel vlog, it’s an inside look at the rules, restrictions, and atmosphere of Afghanistan in 2025, where safety often depends on staying unnoticed.

BOOK YOUR TOUR WITH: https://www.letsbefriendsafghanistan.com.af/

📍 Locations: Hairatan Border Crossing, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh – Afghanistan
📅 Filmed: 2025
🎥 Style: Raw documentary vlog

—

WATCH NEXT:

👁️ Watch next: The LAST JEWS of Kochi

👁️ Watch next: Living with the World’s Largest Crocodiles in the Philippines

—

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Welcome to Afghanistan 🇦🇫;
1:12 – Crossing the Border into Taliban Afghanistan;
3:40 – First Impressions: The Road to Mazar-i-Sharif;
4:46 – Armed Guards at Our Hotel;
5:39 – Exchanging Money on the Streets;
6:17 – Buying Traditional Afghan Clothing (to Blend In);
8:16 – Are Women Really Visible in Public?;
9:20 – Visiting the Iconic Blue Mosque of Mazar;
11:12 – What Do Afghans Really Say About Life Here?;
12:58 – Feeding the Famous Pigeons at the Shrine;
13:57 – Local Kids Attack Our Car in the Street;
14:33 – Trying Afghan Ice Cream for the First Time;
15:57 – Disguising Ourselves in Local Clothing;
19:02 – Balkh: Ancient City of Resistance to the Taliban;
20:35 – TALIBAN KEEPS FOLLOWING US;
22:45 – Swinging in the Desert Outside Mazar;
23:16 – Face-to-Face Interview with the Taliban;
27:23 – Taliban Ask Us DANGEROUS Questions;
29:22 – Shopping for Afghan Oud (Traditional Perfume);

—

🎵 Music from Epidemic Sound: https://share.epidemicsound.com/20vlz7
🎬 Stock & Drone Footage: 1.envato.market/mOojBM

🎒 Travel Gear:
– GRAYL Filter Bottle: https://alnk.to/bEk7dlD
– DJI Pocket 3
– DJI Action
– iPhone 16

—

WHO AM I?
Hi, I’m Jonathan Le Blanc. I create raw, documentary-style travel videos to tell human stories that rarely make it to the mainstream. My channel explores misunderstood, overlooked, or misrepresented places around the world.

Let’s connect:
✅ Instagram: @the__absurdist
✅ TikTok: @the__absurdist
✅ Email: jonathanlc95@gmail.com
✅ Twitter/X: https://x.com/IamtheAbsurdist
✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.le.blanc.704075/

Join the channel for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and support future videos:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr2LTeP64MJLLZOC1FNUhFA/join

💟 Edited by: @Ajjouche on IG

#Afghanistan #Taliban #TalibanRule #Afghanistan2025 #CrossingBorders #TravelAfghanistan #InsideTalibanAfghanistan #LifeUnderTaliban #BannedFootage #ForbiddenPlaces #MostDangerousCountry #StoppedByTheTaliban #TalibanCheckpoints #RawTravel #TheAbsurdist #DocumentaryVlog #TravelUnfiltered #DangerousTravel #HiddenWorlds #UntoldStories #LetsbefriendsAfghanistan