Pakistan: Kalash valley culture at risk from Taliban

The Kalash valley, in north-western Pakistan, is home to a tiny number of non-Muslims in Chitral. The Kalash have unique customs, including the consumption of alcohol and the worship of several Gods Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

The Chitral population is estimated to number between 3,500 and 5,000 Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

The Kalash women wear colourful beads but do not hide their faces. The men have all but discarded traditional dress Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

A Kalash mother and child at home in Bumburet Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

A young married Kalash couple in Bumburet Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Kalash girls and boys in a private school built by the Greek government. Some Kalash believe they are descended from Alexander the Great and his soldiers, which has triggered intense interest from Greek volunteers and Athens over the past decade. However, the kidnap of a Greek volunteer from this school in 2009 badly affected the flow of aid Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Kalash school children in a private school built by the Greek government Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Kalash girls at a government school in their mountain homeland. Pictures of Kalash women and girls, who wear colourful beads, have been a staple of Pakistani tourism literature for decades Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Kalash boys playing cricket in the mountain homeland Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

A soldier stands guard at an army outpost. Taliban violence in north-western Pakistan has reached Chitral, until now the only border district to avoid conflict Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Until the 1970s, the Kalash buried their dead in coffins that were left above ground. Although the dead are now buried the remains of old coffins are scattered about the graveyards Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

In the Kalash graveyard, the remains of a Spanish 'zoologist' who was murdered in the valley in 2002. The police claimed he was an intelligence agent. The case was never resolved Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

A soldier from the paramilitary Frontier Corps stationed in Bumburet Valley. Soldiers now patrol the Kalash Valley Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Policemen now accompany western visitors to the Kalash valleys. Until recently, westerners could roam freely in the area, which had a thriving tourist industry. But now the hotels are largely empty and the few foreigners who venture there are obliged to take one, sometimes several, armed police guards Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian

Empty hotel in the Kalash valley in Chitral district in north-western Pakistan. A thriving Kalash tourist industry has been hit hard by kidnappings of foreign aid workers and the threat of attack from Taliban fighters across the border in Afghanistan Photograph: Declan Walsh for the Guardian