It's very sad to see the destruction of what was a beautiful country. We, the human race, can be so creative and so destructive. I have a friend who was in Syria for two years and see took some amazing photos. Sadly a lot of it has now been destroyed. The same in Timbuktu.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2013/01/28/podlich-afghanistan-1960s-photos/5846/