Afghan music students escaped the Taliban and are beginning their new lives abroad

Afghan music students, teachers and their families disembark from their flight to Lisbon on Dec. 13. The group of more than 270 evacuees had been staying in Doha, awaiting resettlement in Portugal.

Armando Franca/AP

DOHA, Qatar — On the outskirts of Qatar's capital, there's a gated residential compound that was built to house dignitaries attending the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But since August, Park View Villas has been repurposed as a temporary home to thousands of Afghans who were evacuated after their country fell to the Taliban. It's a way station while they wait to be resettled in various other countries.
From one of the townhouses comes the sound of music. Inside, there's a bright classroom where students are practicing Afghan instruments — drums called tablas and dhols, a plucked string instrument called a rubab. There's a guitar leaning against the wall, a keyboard and mic stand.Beyond the compound's guards and white metal gates, there are quiet lanes, carefully tended grounds and rows of townhouses. There's a nursery that serves as a community center, a soccer field, playgrounds and a supermarket subsidized by Qatar, providing food and basic supplies free of cost.