For more than 2000 years, travelers have walked, ridden,
prayed, traded, invaded, escaped, fought, and
died along the 1,500 miles of the Grand Trunk Road
which stretches from Kolkata to Kabul.
This ribbon of humanity stretching Northwest from Kolkata,
the city of culture and joy, to Kabul, the city of conflict,
has been moving merchants, buyers, conquerors, refugees,
prophets, nomads and pilgrims through what is today
India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Here are some pictures of people and places I have
made along the route of the
Grand Trunk Road during the past forty years.
and Muslims proclaimed their beliefs on their journeys along the road.
“Look! Brahmins and chumars, bankers and tinkers,
barbers and bunnias, pilgrims – and potters – all the world going and coming.
It is to me as a river from which I am
withdrawn like a log after a flood.
And truly the Grand Trunk Road is a wonderful spectacle.
Such a river of life as no where else exists in the world.”
– Rudyard Kipling, Kim
Along the route of the GT there is a struggle between secular
modernity and the conservatism of ancient religions.
The Grand Trunk Road served as the two way escape route for
75 million refugees caught between Indian and Pakistan during Partition.
Peshawar, Pakistan, is strategically located at the
crossroads of Central and South Asia
Kabul is over 3,500 years old; many empires have invaded the valley for its
strategic location along the trade routes of Central and South Asia.
the GT facilitated some of the most significant historical developments
which still affect us today.
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Steve McCurry Curated 
35 replies on “River of Life”
Indian cities never fails to surprise me for the beauty it has in its diversity. And the third eye to capture these are just fantastic.
Beautiful photography – a picture can say more than a thousand words 🔆
Stunning photos! I’m deeply in love with all frames of Afghanistan!
Your work is adorable!
I never knew that wow! Thanks 😊
Yet another set of amazing photos. I’m hoping to travel to Pakistan in the near future now that visa requirements have been eased. Thanks for sharing.
Steve, I’ve been a huge fan of your work for at least the last 25 years. You have been an inspiration for me, but I’d like to ask you something, please do not crop your photos to present them here. It brakes my heart to see them maimed. My honest opinion! Thank you, and keep shooting those wonderful photographs!
The ancient world has always fascinated me. I’ve always wondered about human ascent from the savanna animals that we were to the complex societies that we’ve created. I’ve always wondered whether our evolutionary path shaped our cultures or whether our cultures are another path in our evolution. Studying ancient cultures, even if I don’t do it professionally, is a way to answer some of these questions.
Amazing pictures by the way!
Great pics
Photography and travel are two of my passions in life, and I always find your images so inspiring. The colors and textures of your images are amazing. Thanks for another set of beautiful photos from my favorite photographer.
Gorgeous, thank you.
You work is so amazing, I can’t think of the right words. If I never get any of these places in body, I’m there..
where do you get these pictures
I have taken them during my 40-year career.
REALLY!
I love them. Thay are beautiful
The children are so cute.
You captured the footsteps of humanity and civilization that had travelled on this road, in hundreds of years, and captured in your camera the traces of humanity that had suffered pain, happiness, in defeat, victorious, and the survivors. Is there change, a big difference now when humanity, this civilization is “under pause” when people refuse to relate, to feel, to mix and integrate when they spend so much time on the internet and lean heavily on the smartphone?
You captured the flow of humanity and civilization along this much travelled Grand Trunk Road, where the imprints of the passing of time left traces which you had captured in your camera. Time has changed, still the road swells of humanity, traders, workers, men in conflict, in the present times. Is there now a big difference when the flow of humanity is “under pause”, when people refuse to interact, to mix, and to relate and spend so much time on the internet and dependent on the smartphone?
Your photos are simply fabulous and touching and educational. I always look forward to receiving your post and it is always uplifting
Thank you Stevebhai.
I have always loved your work and the subtle art of storytelling. Love it.
This was one of the most important trade routes across Asia.
What a stunning collection….a cultural story of lives so very far removed from my own
Awesome indeed.
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Stunning, stunning images, you never fail to astound me with your remarkable images.
I always look forward to learning about my cultural heritage and history of Afghanistan. Your photos and blog capture it beautifully.
A pictorial history but also a cultural lesson. School age children should be exposed to images and stories like these to open their eyes to the world beyond their city.
Simply awesome. I love these pictures!
Your pictures are always a delight. They have taught me much – to see the beauty,pathos and pattern in everyday items as well as the rich tapestry that is life. We are blessed to live in a less concentrated environment but the magic of humanity and its beliefs are concentrated in your images
Fantastical portrait of the most colorful highway on earth. Brings such good memories of the wonderful journeys I made in the 80’s & 90’s.
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I was in Pakistan in the 50s of the last century several times visiting my father who worked for a German company in Karachi for 17 years. We also travelled through Pakistan from the south to the north in 1957 by car. When I look at your impressive pictures I remember that Pakistan in those days had a much higher standard of living and it was much cleaner everywhere. Thank you very much for those interesting pics.
Your pictures are mesmerizing~such beauty, depth, and rawness. I’m glad to have found your site~beautiful details in words!
You’re work serves to archive the human condition in a world far removed from life in my part of the world.
I travel , tray to live the moment , feel de atmosphire, smell and hear through you photos and the amazing notes from notorius authors.Thanks from Argentina
Just so amazing & your fabulous images tell the story so well. The ancient is still with us in the so-called “modern” world.