"Rebuilding Afghanistan"
Rory Stewart,
Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation

Asia Society
New York, April 20, 2007

"Rebuilding Afghanistan"

Rory Stewart, Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, spoke with journalist Dan Harris, anchor of ABC World News Sunday, about how the preservation and regeneration of Afghan culture is vitally and urgently linked to the country's much needed economic, social, and urban reconstruction. The Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, has established Afghanistan’s first Centre for Traditional Afghan Arts and Architecture, training men and women in traditional woodwork, calligraphy, and ceramics. The Foundation is also working to rebuild and regenerate the historic commercial center of Kabul, following the model of successful redevelopments of historic city centers throughout the Islamic world.

From 2000-2002, Rory Stewart walked across Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Nepal, a journey of 6000 miles which formed the basis of his prize-winning book The Places In Between. His second book, The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq, chronicles his 2003-2004 tenure as coalition Deputy Governor of Maysan and Dhi Qar, two provinces in southern Iraq. Stewart, a guest Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times for the month of March 2007, currently lives in Kabul.