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Wish you were here? Taliban launches Afghanistan as a HOLIDAY DESTINATION - with men (not women) getting trained up in hospitality ready for a tourism explosion... but what does a getaway to the volatile country look like?
The Taliban have been training up recruits for a major new operation on the ground in Afghanistan - to help turn the war-torn country into a popular holiday destination.
The hardline Islamist group has opened its first tourism and hotel management school as part of its latest offensive.
The regime is keen to promote the wonders of the country which boasts an array of ancient archaeological sites and spectacular landscapes along with a unique history.
And the hospitality professionals - all men, as women are banned from education - will be leading the charge.
Commanders of the former guerrilla fighting force, who retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, are proudly highlighting how 7,000 foreign tourists visited the country last year compared with just 691 in 2021.
Kabul's Serena Hotel is Afghanistan's only five-star hotel - with two restaurants, a pastry shop, and a poolside bar that does not serve alcohol
A glimpse inside one of the hotel's 177 luxurious rooms and suites, yours from £160 a night. Even the women's spa is being reopened to welcome foreign guests
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid (pictured) says tourist safety is given 'special attention' by the government
Wish you were here? Taliban soldiers ride a duck boat - with their guns aboard - at Band-e Amir national park in August 2022
Kabul does boast attractions that might attract holidaymakers seeking something off the beaten track - like its state-of-the-art water park (above)
The surge comes despite Afghanistan being ranked the most dangerous country in the world according to the Global Peace Index.
Now Taliban leaders hope to capitalise on the growing interest and turn the country - which notoriously provided a safe haven for Osama bin Laden - into 'a tourism powerhouse'.
Officials insist travellers from across the world will receive a warm reception - including those from Britain and America and other countries which fought the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 atrocities.
The Taliban's official spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: 'We will welcome the citizens of any country who visit Afghanistan.
'Everyone is treated equally. Special attention is paid to the protection of tourists.
'Foreign nationals are given special attention by the authorities in any area they visit while they are here.'
Luxury hotels have began providing women from other countries more freedoms than local females to entice western visitors.
And as the fundamentalists turn their sights on the holiday industry, the first 30 Taliban-trained hospitality specialists were being put through their paces at the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Kabul.
The students - who vary in age, education level and experience - don't know anything about tourism or hospitality but insist they are all eager to promote a different side of Afghanistan.
Business school graduate Samir Ahmadzai wants to open a hotel but thinks he should know more about tourism and hospitality first.
He said: 'They hear that Afghanistan is backwards, poverty and all about war.
'We have 5,000 years of history. There should be a new page of Afghanistan.'
Another student, Ahmed Massoud Talash, works as a model and wants to learn about Afghanistan's picturesque spots for Instagram posts and its history for media appearances.
Classes at the school include Afghan handicrafts and anthropology basics.
An unofficial subject is how to interact with foreign women and how their behaviour or habits could clash with local customs and edicts.
Examples might be women smoking or eating in public, to mixing freely with men who are not related to them by blood or marriage.
Despite the suppression of women's rights, even solo female travellers are being encouraged to visit - although the Taliban have imposed a strict dress code and requirements to have a male guardian.
British tour guide Sascha Heeney visited the country in February and said the trip went so well she is returning next month.
The Taliban is keen to encourage men - and only men - to learn the hospitality trades to bolster Afghanistan's tourism industry (pictured: a dry fruit vendor in Kabul last month)
Efforts have been made to restore Afghanistan's landmarks after years of violent conflict, including Kabul's Darul Aman Palace (left, in ruins and right, after being restored)
The Taliban is keen to promote Afghanistan to foreigners - but the country remains a pariah state on the world stage (pictured: a road race organised by Afghanistan's Olympic committee, with the Darul Aman Palace visible in the background)
Afghanistan does have a rich and diverse culture (pictured: traditional wrestling in Baharak last month) - but the country is still ruled by a strict Islamic government
Taliban gunmen - including one seemingly snapping a selfie - riding a boat on the Qargha dam outside Kabul in 2021
She told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme: 'The country is magnificent. It is honestly one of the best, most amazing places I have been to - hence why I am going back.
'Just on so many levels. Geographically, where it is positioned, is absolutely stunning. The people are just so kind and really welcoming actually and what I took from this trip was how appreciative the local people were to see tourists there, especially women.'
She told how while she had been 'very eager' to travel to Afghanistan she felt 'apprehensive being a woman and leading a tour there' and described women's rights in the country as 'terrible'.
Ms Heeney said: 'It is a very repressive society for women but again I just wanted to see with my own eyes how it is out there.'
Describing her experiences she said: 'When we were out there the women in our group had to be very kind of conservative with our dress and our local guide briefed us on how we can behave and how we should act.'
She added: 'You need a local guide to maintain your safety. A woman cannot travel by herself there. Definitely not. You need to have a male escort.'
During the tour one of her female companions lost her headscarf in a gust of wind and the male guide was reprimanded by the Taliban.
Ms Heeney said: 'As long as you followed the rules of the place you had no problems out there.'
There are other potential pitfalls even for the most intrepid travellers seeking new adventures to off-the-beaten-track destinations.
Decades of conflict has left the poverty-stricken state with poor infrastructure making road travel 'highly dangerous'.
To add to the hazards the uncertain political situation could lead to roadside shootings, attacks with rocket propelled grenades, incoming mortar fire and suicide bombings.
Border crossings remain volatile and can close at short notice.
The country is also prone to extreme weather and natural hazards including earthquakes, significant floods and avalanches.
Afghanistan remains a pariah state on the global stage - largely because of the harsh restrictions on women and girls.
The Taliban government has yet to be officially recognised by any country.
Official advice from the Foreign Office warns against travelling to Afghanistan due to the 'volatile' security situation.
It warns travel throughout the country is 'extremely dangerous' and there is 'a heightened risk' of British nationals being detained which could lead to 'months or years of imprisonment'.
Meanwhile the Foreign Office said its ability to help is 'extremely limited and support in person is not possible'.
Taliban gunmen pose for a photograph in Kabul as they celebrate the country's independence day in 2021, when the militant organisation seized control of the country
Visitors to the country say that despite being given more liberties than native Afghans, women are still closely monitored and must travel with male escorts
Adventure travel firms are offering packages to explore Afghanistan's mountainous regions (pictured: a herd of goats close to the border with Tajikistan in March)
The Foreign Office still recommends against travelling to Afghanistan, adding that even taking holiday photos may be regarded with suspicion (pictured: the Keraman Valley)
The department also highlights how even taking holiday snaps could 'cause offence or suspicion' .
It warns visitors to avoid taking pictures of local people without their agreement and that photographing 'certain buildings' is not allowed and may lead to detention.
Despite this, Taliban officials insist there has been a sharp drop in violence which is helping boost the industry.
Mohammad Saeed, the head of the Tourism Directorate in Kabul, said travellers are choosing to travel to Afghanistan as it is safer than neighbouring countries.
He said: 'They've told me they don't want to go to Pakistan because it's dangerous and they get attacked. This is good for us.'
There are no direct flights from the UK to Afghanistan so travel could involved 18-hour flights through connecting hubs.
Tickets from companies including Turkish Airlines, Afghani Airline Kam Air and Flydubai, range from £700 to £1,100 and involve a stopover in either Istanbul or Dubai.
While the landlocked country has no seaside beaches and conservative dress codes would rule out traditional swimwear, a number of adventure travel firms have been offering a range of packages including skiing trips in the mountain regions.
For those seeking a bit more luxury, hotels in Kabul feature pools, spas and fitness centres with prices starting at around £44-a-night.
The country's only five-star hotel - the Kabul Serena - offers two restaurants, a pastry shop, and a poolside bar - although as alcohol is banned in Afghanistan it specialises in serving up a wide range of fresh juices as well as 'easy dining options'.
To make Brits feel at home, bottles of Heinz tomato ketchup are available to accompany club sandwiches served with chips.
In a further sign the country is preparing for more overseas visitors, the hotel - where guests can stay in one of its 177 luxurious rooms and suites from £160-a-night - has reopened its women's spa and salon.
Visitors must show their passport to access services as women showing 'born in Afghanistan' on their identification are barred.
Meanwhile the Kabul Star Hotel offers 'celebrity treatment with world-class service' from £125-a-night while rooms range from £80-a-night at the towering Intercontinental Hotel, where Bin Laden was once a guest.
The hotel, built by British construction firm Taylor Woodrow in 1969, was the scene of a murderous attack by the Taliban in 2018 which led to a 12-hour battle which left 40 people dead including 14 foreigners.
It followed a previous massacre by the fundamentalists there when nine gunmen and suicide bombers were among 21 people killed after a five-hour siege.
Another significant step came last October with the restoration of Darul Aman Palace, 10 miles outside Kabul.
A man hangs from a balcony as he tries to escape from a gun attack at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in 2018
Taliban gunmen soak up the sun on duck boats as they ride around on Ban e-Amir lake in Bamyan province in 2022. The region is now being touted as a tourism hotspot
The grand property, built more than 100 years ago as a home for the then King of Afghanistan, was a bullet-ridden ruin after being destroyed by mujahideen fighters in 1990 being reopened as a tourist attraction.
At present, adventure tours are proving popular with one Irish company, Rocky Road Travel, offering a 10-day tour from September 17 to 28 for £2,500, which does not include the cost of flights and £340 visa.
Starting in Kabul, tourists head off on a three hour road trip the following day to the famous ancient Buddhist site at Bamiyan.
Unfortunately its most famous monuments - the towering Buddhas of Bamiyan which were built in the sixth century - were blown to smithereens by the Taliban in 2001.
The tour visits markets and mosques before heading to the Herat Citadel which dates back to 330 BC and was once used by Alexander the Great as his headquarters after defeating the Persian empire.
Natural wonders such as six lakes called the Band-e-Amir, recognised as a World Heritage site in 2009, are part of the tour along with a visit to the ancient city of Balkh.
There is also a visit to a British military cemetery in Kabul - one of the few foreign historical and Christian landmarks to have survived the first period of Taliban rule that ended in 2001.