Topdara, one of a series of Buddhist sites along the edge of the Koh e Daman plain, is situated 5km south-west of Charikar, provincial capital of Parwan. The complex is believed to have been commissioned by the Kushan ruler Kanishka between 1st and 3rd century AD. The stupa, which is nearly 30 metres in diameter, retains a characteristic decorative frieze formed from small schist components. It was 'opened' by the British traveller Charles Masson in 1833 and, despite having been neglected since, is one of the best-preserved Buddhist structures in the region. Photos (c) Jolyon Leslie