Star Over Askar

The Bamyian lay quilted in patches of green and yellow fields ripening under the summer sun.  To the north, and some three hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Alexandar the Great married the lovely Roxanne, breaking a piece of wedding cake with his sword after the vows were said.  Along the northern wall of the steeply rising cliffs rose the carved figure of Buddha.  At the base of it once marched the caravans of fabulous silk merchants who traded exports of gold, silver, frankincense, glass and wine with the Roman Empire.  From the East they brought cotton, indigo, spices, semi-precious stones, pearls, and ivory.  From Afganistan they collected rubies, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and with it all was brought the silks of China to be sold in Rome.  Such was the history of the Bamyian.

     When Jordan first looked out upon it he saw a farmer winnowing grain from his crop of wheat.  The afternoon had been full of bird song with the ripening orange and apricot trees scenting the valley floor.  They grew in small groves that occasionally dotted the valley.

     Now Jordan motioned Lillian and Zaki to follow him.  He was relieved to finally reach an end to the long and often difficult trail that they travelled.  The journey had tightened muscles, but had also wearied the horses who showed indication of sore legs.

     Above the valley was a seri, or fortified house, built as a compound with a protective wall surrounding it.  Built and owned by a distant cousin of Zaki, and because kinship ties were highly respected, they could expect hospitality.

     Jordan was aware of this advantage when he asked Zaki to help him rescue Lillian.  He needed strong ties in a land that was marked by blood feuds and invading armies.  Even now there was fighting between Afgan tribes over Russian provocation.  A man's life was worth only the extent of his family's influence.  That was the reason many of the family clans had their own armed force; men who were either related or bound in ties of friendship and family unit to whom they pledged themselves and fought accordingly.

     Reflectively, Jordan halted Bashi and studied a small band of horsemen galloping toward him.  Turbaned and dressed in dusty Pathan clothing, he supposed them to be a group of patrols who ranged the valley spotting for any military activity on the part of the Russians, or the U.S.S.R. puppet government now in power, but when they bore straight for him, he saw they were riding for a purpose.