An Afghan Silver Bottle

This metal perfume bottle was bought by my mother in the Afghan Market in Islamabad, when my father was posted there about 15 years ago.

It's made of silver with a large component of other white metals. Probably made in a small village forge some time in the last century, it is beautifully decorated by hand. It would be worn as a piece of jewellery as well as having a practical of carrying perfume oil.

The Afghan Market was a place where Afghan refugees sell rugs, jewellery, vintage clothes and embroidered items. It's sad that they had to sell their antiques I guess, but the buyers did appreciate them and they obtained good prices.




Please skip the sermon below if you prefer not to read anything 'political'.




Sermon:



Destinations of Refugees

We hear so much about asylum seekers 'flooding' into our rich country.

It is a myth that the majority of refugees are located in rich countries. Most refugees have the means only to travel across the nearest border and 80% are currently to be found in the developing world.

The burden of hosting refugees therefore falls largely on countries least able to cope. For example, the largest host country is Pakistan with 1.8 million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan. Over one million Iraqi refugees add 5% to the population of Syria, thanks to a war for which it had no direct responsibility.

Other major receiving countries include Tanzania, which hosts over 300,000 Burundian and Rwandan refugees. Contemporary conflicts have forced similar numbers into Chad and Kenya, countries which are faced with serious humanitarian issues within their own populations.