Afghanistan’s cultural heritage plundered – 15 Jul 07
Posted by Admin on Apr 19, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments
Hidden away along this bumpy track on the edge above field, this is one of the most important archaeological sites in all over Afghanistan. Covered by rickety metal roof to protect it from the elements, this is the oldest mosque in the entire country.Thought to date from the 9th century the mosque is important to experts because it was built incorporating symbols from the area’s previous religion, buddhism. Today, were the only foreigners here in bulk. I’m sure if this was anywhere else in the world not Afghanistan, a country that’s seen over thirty years of bloodshed, this place would be packed with tourists. It’s an area that’s had settlers for over ten thousand years. The problem though is that the history this place is slowly being stolen. I was shown around the site by Razor Hussaini, a self-taught local archeologist. “I’m an archeologist.
I’m feeling one day stealing something. They’re stealing our history. All of us, all of African people. So it’s really sad for me, it’s really really sad for me. I cannot tell them, I cannot tell them about that. Here, despite the absence of visitors, an armed security guard is employed twenty four hours a day. But there are thought to be about a thousand ancient sites in the immediate area, most are not guarded. Close to the walls of the old city, a bulk, this burial site has been looted consistently in recent years. If this site had been uncovered by archaeologists, the work would have been carried out extremely slowly and carefully but the thieves have taken no such care. Many of the ancient relics, these are from the Roman and bacteria in areas have been destroyed by the pick axes they’ve used to dig up the area. Experts believe most of what’s not been destroyed has been sold abroad.
“Bases are robbed, they dug-out, things are removed to whichever central place is a group. I presume it’s couple summer and probably they get moved of and out of the country very quickly to push our Pakistan as a principle place for loading up and packing up. And most of the crates that I’ve seen, if not all the crates that Ive seen that have when I was at the position in the one looked at. Breaking it able through with my relationship with HM Customs and so on. I had come from Pakistan via various at the ggulf cities.” In the regional capital Mazir-i-sharif, who has shown coins, one of which we were told dates through all the time of Alexander the great, but this transaction in a small carpet shop is only a tiny part experts believe of a billion-dollar illegal industry. James Bays, Al Jazeera, Northen Afghanistan.