A set of color photos show Afghanistan in a very different light.
A Lifetime Ago: The Elegance Of 1920s Afghanistan
![The tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who is seen as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. The archives are packed with enthralling images of the world a century ago, but the photos of Afghanistan stand out for illustrating how drastically the country has changed.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8e063765-7eae-4786-9258-1f5fa809053f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who is seen as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. The archives are packed with enthralling images of the world a century ago, but the photos of Afghanistan stand out for illustrating how drastically the country has changed.
![A clock tower in Kabul. The graceful structure was reportedly smashed to rubble during the civil war that wracked Afghanistan in the 1990s.](https://gdb.rferl.org/869a62e8-990d-4d14-b018-9cd2c91fb930_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A clock tower in Kabul. The graceful structure was reportedly smashed to rubble during the civil war that wracked Afghanistan in the 1990s.
![A European woman posing for a portrait in Kabul.](https://gdb.rferl.org/cd4b67ff-23b8-40c5-9cb5-f569e1eefd26_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A European woman posing for a portrait in Kabul.
![Stucco decorations on a house in Kabul.](https://gdb.rferl.org/891164ab-12eb-49a5-b6ad-65bfd77f10e8_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Stucco decorations on a house in Kabul.