The plan: a photo story about how different countries battle extremism. Tajikistan was one of them – a country where the government’s methods include a war on beards. In 2015 alone, police in the Khatlon region said nearly 13,000 men with “too long” beards had been “brought to order”, many of them shaved by force. The government calls it a fight against radicalisation and “foreign” influences; critics call it an attack on religious freedom. In 2024 a new law went further and banned clothing “alien to the national culture”, widely seen as aimed at the hijab.

What actually happened: I got food poisoning. Not from Tajik food – from my last meal in Sweden before I left. 🙃 The story never got made.

What I got instead: hikes through mountains that cover 93 percent of the country, the unreal turquoise of the Nurek Reservoir, and great company – my friend Emmy Johdet (@emmyjohdet), who lived and worked there. That’s her on the cliff in the last picture.

Red mountains and snowy peaks, Tajikistan

Mountains above the Nurek Reservoir

Turquoise water in a canyon, Tajikistan

Emmy Johdet on a cliff above turquoise water

Not every trip goes to plan. Some still give you something to keep.

Planning a story, an expedition or an assignment somewhere far away? Get in touch.

Sources: BBC, Meduza.