Afghanistan
Afghanistan is described as “just emerging from the bronze age, a land incredibly old, incredibly tied to an ancient past." He presents Afghanistan as being heavily influenced by ancient traditions, and as having not progressed. He also describes Afghanistan as being "one of the world's great cauldrons". This emphasizes the ancient nature of Kabul, and again compares it to being “bronze.”
Destruction
The author depicts the violent and destructive history of Afghanistan. For example, the following passage says something about how the people of Afghanistan are constantly trying to recover from war and violence: "I tell you these things only to explain the terrible burdens under which Afghanistan has labored. Our major cities have been destroyed so many times. Do you know what I expect, seriously? When a thousand men like me have rebuilt Kabul and made it as great as the city once was, either the Russians or the Americans will come with their airplanes and bomb it to rubble." There is also the destruction caused by nature in the text. This is especially true in the desert, where it occasionally rains "in a way you never saw before. Terrible, shattering. A wall of water builds up thirty feet high and destroys everything before it."
The desert
Mark travels through the desert and learns to survive there in the text. The desert is characterized by extreme heat, a lack of water and sandstorms. Mark is in new territory and must learn to survive in these extreme conditions.
