Kabul, Afghanistan – Groups of women bustle through the female entrance of Sakhi Shah-e Mardan Shrine in Karte Sakhi in western Kabul, where many Afghans gather every year to celebrate Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. They rush towards the mosque located inside the shrine premises, posing for selfies and TikTok videos, wearing colourful dresses donned with sequins.
This is the first Nowruz since the Taliban returned to power 20 years after they were toppled in a United States-led invasion.
