Nuristani Woodworking

Nuristan is the craziest part of Afghanistan. It's a fascinating place, and not just because it's the theoretical setting of The Man Who Would Be King. Without going into the details of the Nuristanis, suffice it to say that their detailed woodworking is one of the arts that Turquoise Mountain is working to preserve. This picture is from a doorway at the Turquoise Mountain site, which is a restored 19th-century fortress/royal hunting lodge. Nowadays, the Turquoise Mountain people are apparently selling the services of their master woodcarvers to posh hotels and others who would want such fancy doorways. Wouldn't your front porch look better adorned with Nuristani Pillars? For those of more modest vision, they also have a nice variety of small wooden trays and doo-dads for sale in the gift shop.