Luke Powell: Asia Highway

Asia Highway is Luke Powell’s photographic examination of Iran and particularly Pakistan, acknowledging the destruction these cultures have undergone while emphasizing the beautiful and good that Powell discovered on his travels. The photos in the first chapter were taken in Iran in 1974 and include the historical bazaar of Tabriz (a crucial center on the Silk Road and since 2010 a UNESCO World Heritage Site), while the succeeding chapters depict northern Pakistan. The story of the book’s origins orbits around various political events: Powell photographed a series on Pakistan’s Swat district after he had left Afghanistan just ahead of the Taraki coup in 1978; and in 2000 the Taliban invited him to return while restricting his subsequent movements, prompting Powell to travel to Pakistan and work in Chitral and Gilgit. Other chapters explore Peshawar and the Kalash people in Chitral.