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Bibi Haji leaves her beloved home to save her granddaughter from Taliban warlords
Alma Begum* authored this report for the Zan Times in Persian, translated into English by Rustam Seerat.
On the corner of the alley where I live is a mansion that is secluded and mysterious. Its large gate is always locked and its tall walls, shadowed by trees and barbed wire, seem out of reach. There’s a tiny door for the mansion’s occupants but it has been closed for years, keeping people at such a distance that they don’t even feel the urge to touch its rusted iron. Until yesterday, I didn’t know that people were living in that mansion. That’s when I encountered Bibi Haji*. When she provided details about the mansion — “We have five rooms and a huge basement” — I couldn’t visualize it.
Bibi Haji is an attractive 68-year-old woman from northern Afghanistan. To paraphrase Dostoevsky: “The remnants of a lost beauty can still be seen on her face.” Her black eyes, arched eyebrows, and, most notably, her focus when talking draw people to her. Bibi Haji lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and her granddaughters. Though her sons have all emigrated, she chose to stay in her hometown. Now that her youngest daughter and grandchildren intend to leave Afghanistan, she has reluctantly agreed to migrate.
