TO GO WITH Afghanistan-Economy-Mining-Emeralds, FOCUS by Thibaut Marchand and Abdullah Hasrat
In this picture taken on January 12, 2022, people line up to clean raw stones with water before searching for emeralds near the mining area on a mountain in the Mikeni Valley in Panjshir province. - Systematic mining only began in the 1970s and remains largely artisanal but the gems found here are compared to Colombian emeralds, the most sought-after on the planet. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) / TO GO WITH Afghanistan-Economy-Mining-Emeralds, FOCUS by Thibaut Marchand and Abdullah Hasrat