Stéphan Gladieu

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Settled at the very bottom of the steppe : Ak Belis , the first kirghiz village that we saw,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Before the night, young kirghiz go to the rivulet to fill in tea pots,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Bostam Bây, chief of Ak Belis village which counts seven yourts,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4400 m). Under a yourt, all the family is seated next to the cradle. The baby is tied up to not fall,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Portrait of Aleila, the bây’s daughter,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2600 m). Four black riders in the morning lanscape, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Portrait of Bostam Bây, chief of Ak Belis village which counts seven yourts,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4400 m). In Caqmaqtin, a married woman (white scarf), embroiders a coat for her husband,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). In Ak Belis, the yourt of the family who’s in charge of cooking « nan » for all the village. Background, chinese silk carpets and wedding boxes which contains all goods of the family.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Portrait of Aleila, the bây’s daughter,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). A rider all dressed in black is talking to Bo Fatma, Aleila’s mother. Maybe they are setting up Aleila’s wedding : she still not married,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Under a yourt in Ak Belis, three generations of women,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). Portrait of Aleila, the bây’s daughter,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). In Ak Belis, women milk the yaks twice a day : early morning and at night,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4000 m). The path treaded by goats is flooded by the river. Horses are scared to go on, on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). A boy and his sister in the steppe they are picking up the yack dung for cooking and heating ,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.)

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3500 m). Just before Sarhad, a family hamlet overhangs the Amou Daria river, on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3300 m). In Issik, women stay in the kitchen, far away from the male foreigners. They are cooking « nan » in the tandoor. The tea with (yak) milk and salt is ready. ,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). A young girl in the steppe,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3300 m). Mens group in Issik,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.(

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2300 m). After gathering in wheat, the wind help the farmers on to separate the tares from the wheat,on 1998, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2400 m). In Zebac, flocks are back from transhumance,on 1998, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.(Photo by Stephan Gladieu/Getty Images)

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3300 m). In Qala-i-Panja, farmers are separating the tares from the wheat,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3300 m). In Qala-i-Panja, farmer in the fieldt,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (4200 m). With two yaks rented in Ak Belis, we go to Caqmaqtin lake, the Amou Daria’s spring, on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (5000 m). 15 August, 6 AM, the first vision of the day, a man with is yack coming from nowhere ,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3600 m). To cross a freezing and rushing river is always a difficult exercise, on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2600 m). Early August, opium harvesting,on 1998, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2600 m). Early August, opium harvesting,on 1998, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

North Pakistan -1998 : The caravan approachs the afghan border. There is no police control in the Oweer pass (5100 meters height) on 1998 in North Pakistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Badakhshan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (2600 m). An opium-smoker in Khandud. Most of the Afghan people eat opium instead of smoking it. It causes severe diseases,on 1998, in Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3300 m). In Issik, a woman smoke opium to ease her rheumatism,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3200 m). O.R.A Clinic of Khandud, men room. Portraits of opium-smoker on detox. They have been smoking oipum for 30 years,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.

Amou Daria’s valley, Wakhan, AFGHANISTAN - 1998 : (3200 m). O.R.A. Clinic of Khandud, women room. On the female waiting list , which is very new, 200 women are waiting to go on detox,on 1998, in Wakhan, Afghanistan.