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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Elena Becatoros

Afghanistan’s pioneering female tour guides are opening up the country for tourists

Maryam, a young Afghan on her first day of training to become a tour guide, helps 82-year-old Australian tourist Suzanne Sandral adjust her hijab in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Amidst the ancient artefacts of Afghanistan's National Museum, a seemingly ordinary tour group stood out for one extraordinary reason: every member, including their guide, was a woman.

This all-female gathering, led by one of Afghanistan's pioneering female tour guides, represents a quiet but potent challenge to the Taliban's severe impositions on girls and women.

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