Places in Between
The Places in Between is a travel narrative by British writer and (as of 2018) UK Member of Parliament Rory Stewart, detailing his solo walk across north-central Afghanistan in 2002. The Radio play version is in the Youtube below.
Stewart arrives in Afghanistan in January 2002, beginning his journey in Herat and proceeding on foot to Kabul. He is initially accompanied by two armed guards, Qasim and Abdul Haq, at the insistence of Governor Yuzufi but travels without human company for most of his walk, accompanied only by his dog, Babur. On his journey, Stewart encounters many of Afghanistan’s most notable historical sites, including the Minaret of Jam, the Dome of Chist-e-Sharif and the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which were destroyed by the Taliban.
The Places in Between was dramatised by writer Benjamin Yeoh in a 45 minute radio play of the same name directed by Steven Canny, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play on 15 February 2007. The play was the radio pick of the day in both the Guardian and The Times.
“The Afternoon Play, The Places in Between is a superb dramatisation of writer Rory Stewart's trip on foot, from Herat to Kabul, over the mountains of Afghanistan, shortly after the fall of the Taliban. Entertaining and informative.” Link to Guardian.