UNESCO in Afghanistan
UNESCO'S MANDATE
Over many thousands of years, Afghanistan has been the home of many civilizations and different religions. Its rich historical culture has played a great and important role in the heritage of humankind. Over many generations, Afghanistan has attracted the attention of many historians, archaeologists, and an endless variety of scholarly researchers. Unfortunately, the economic, social, and cultural foundations of this country have been subject to tragic abuse and destruction over two decades of war and civil unrest. As a consequence, the country's cultural heritage has suffered irreversible damage and loss.
The rehabilitation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage is one of the main priorities
of the Government of Afghanistan and the international community. The challenge to
rehabilitate the country's endangered cultural heritage is overwhelming, requiring
significant mobilization of international and national support for the Afghan authorities
and people. It is for this reason that the Ministry of Information and Culture of
Afghanistan requested the international community to provide assistance and co-
In January 2002, UNESCO was officially requested by Afghan Authorities to play a coordinating role in all international and bilateral activities aimed at safeguarding Afghanistan's cultural heritage. As a first step, in March 2002 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, which entrusted UNESCO with the coordination of international efforts for the National Museum of Kabul.
The foundation of UNESCO's approach towards the Afghan crisis is the need to help Afghanistan to help itself. Leadership of Afghanistan's recovery and rehabilitation process must rest with Afghans themselves. While external support is clearly vital, lasting peace and security must be developed and sustained from within. Activities
UNESCO'S CURRENT ACTIVITIES IN SAFEGUARDING AFGHANISTAN'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
In May 2002, the first International Seminar on the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan's
Cultural Heritage was held in Kabul under the coordination of the Ministry of Information
and Culture of Afghanistan and UNESCO, in which 107 specialists in Afghan cultural
heritage and representatives of donor countries and relevant institutions participated.
During three-
From 16 to18 June 2003, UNESCO organized, in cooperation with the Afghan Ministry
of Information and Culture, the First Plenary Session of the International Coordination
Committee (ICC) for the Safeguarding of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage in UNESCO
HQs in Paris, which brought some 40 experts in the presence of representatives of
the Member States. The meeting resulted in concrete recommendations which concern
key areas such as development of a long-
REHABILITATION OF KABUL MUSEUM
After the collapse of Taliban regime in December 2001, UNESCO sent a mission to identify
and regroup the remains of various statues and objects in the Kabul Museum and to
prepare a project for such restoration as winterization, a deep water well, an electric
generator, new windows installation and so forth. In January 2003, the Greek Government
initiated its restoration with a donation of some US$ 750,000, and the US Government
contributed US$ 100,000. Together with NGOs, International experts and museums, UNESCO
has been focusing on inventory of the collections, conservation and restoration of
cultural and historical objects training and capacity-
TRAINING WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
Following the decision of the World Heritage Committee at its 26 th session (June 2002 Budapest) and the approval of the international assistance, a training workshop was organized for the national and local authorities for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Kabul in Autumn 2003.
CONSTRUCTION OF MADANJEET SINGH INSTITUTE FOR AFGHANISTAN'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
Considering urgent need for capacity-
FILM ON ILLICIT TRAFFIC OF AFGHANISTAN'S CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTS
Preserving historical and cultural property means a direct connection to inherit Afghan's history from the past. Donated by National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, UNESCO is produced a short film on illicit looting and traffic of cultural artefacts, in order to raise awareness of the Afghan people to the value and thereto connected responsibilities in safeguarding the country's archaeological heritage. This film will be shown on national television, as well as in towns and villages around the country through "Mobile Cinema" project conducted by AINA.
POSTERS AND LEAFLET OF LOOTING AND ILLICIT TRAFFIC OF AFGHANISTAN'S HERITAGE
In view of countering looting and illicit traffic of Afghanistan's cultural property, Donated by the International Council of Museums (ICOMO), posters and leaflets have been produced in Dari, Pashto and English and distributed to the public.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLAYGROUND / CULTURAL CENTER FOR ART & MUSIC SCHOOL
Funded by Felissimo Corporation of Japan, "Playground of my dream" was created to provide social services for the vulnerable young street working children and adolescents. The main objective of the project is to create a place where children can express themselves freely in safe, so that children could learn cultural, artistic and sports activities such as music, painting, playing sport and so forth.
SAFEGUARDING OF THE BAMYAN SITE
Under the implementation of the project donated by Japanese Funds-
AN EXPERT WORKING GROUP ON THE PRESERVATION OF THE BAMYAN SITE IN MUNICH, GERMANY
25 Afghan and international experts evaluated the present state of the site in Bamiyan, compared different conservation methods and issued recommendations for the implementation of the different activities of the project. The 1st working group was organized in November 2002 and in 2 December 2003.
TRAINING WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
Following the decision of the World Heritage Committee at its 26th session (June 2002 Budapest) and the approval of the international assistance, a training workshop was organized in Herat for the national and local authorities for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Afghanistan in January 2004.
EMERGENCY CONSOLIDATION AND RESTORATION OF MONUMENTS IN HERAT AND JAM
The project started in May 2003 and consisted in carrying out emergency consolidation, conservation and restoration for the endangered monuments, in particular the Minaret of Jam. Funded by Italian government, the 5th Minaret in Herat, which was in imminent risk of collapse, was stabilized temporarily by means of steel cables in July and August 2003.
Funded by German government, the Project "Retiling the Mausoleum of Gawhar Shad in Herat" has been implemented from February 2004 to July 2004. The objective of the project is to (1) train the staff members of department of Historical Monuments in Herat and local people to reproduce tiles necessary for the rehabilitation of the mausoleum, (2) promote and organize documentation, data collection on the monument, (3) retile and undertake the rehabilitation of the monument.
PRESERVATION AND REHABILITATION OF AFGHANISTAN'S CULTURAL HERITAGE AT THE SITE OF THE "MINARET OF JAM"
In order to prevent the accumulation of silt and rubble at the base of the Minaret
in Jam by possible flooding, this project had been implemented. A guesthouse was
also re-
REINSTALLATION AND REOPENING OF THE ISLAMIC MUSEUM AT RAUZA AND PRE-
Donated by Italian Government, the project will be executed to reactive the basic
structures of Afghanistan's cultural heritage and to train personnel who are specialized
in management and preservation, after reinstallation and reopening of the Islamic
Museum at Rauza and Pre-
BACTRIAN GOLD
The Hellenistic age was Greece's period of greatest triumph. During this time, Greek culture, power, and control extended over the known world. Greek culture had already reached its zenith in the previous classical age. In the Hellenistic age, the Greeks actively exported their culture leaving lasting imprints on the civilizations that eventually grew out of these lands: the Romans, the Jewish Diaspora, Islam, and Christianity.
Alexander the Great's conquests, and those of his father Philip of Macedon, laid
the framework for this "Hellenization" of the known world. After his father united
the Greek city-
Alexander's further attempts to expand his kingdom met with opposition from his troops and he returned to his kingdom in 324 B.C. and died the next year. Alexander's empire was then divided amongst his generals, who fell into conflict with one another.
Asia Minor fell under Greek influence for centuries during this Hellenistic period. Conflict between the dynasties of Alexander's former generals was constant but the standard of living rose enormously. Each of the new empires embarked on public service works and patronage of the arts, philosophy, science, and literature. Bactria itself became a mosaic of Persian, Chinese, Greek, and Indian cultures and provided a link and trade route between the East and the West. Greeks prospered in Bactria for roughly a century after Alexander's death until Bactria was conquered by nomads from the Chinese and Siberian steppes.
In the winter of 1978-
The Bactrian Gold is a rich variety of coins and other objects from before and after
Alexander the Great's death. Among the finds: a Chinese mirror; coins from Parthia,
Rome, and India; pieces of Greco-
This treasure trove, however, was feared lost. During the years of civil war and then Taliban rule, the gold's location was kept secret by a handful of museum workers and bank employees, and had been stored three floors down in the Central Bank vaults inside the Arg, the presidential palace.
When the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996, they initially examined the vault
in the Arg, but failed to discover the gold. Those who knew of the gold's whereabouts,
however, began to worry as the Taliban began a systematic destruction of non-
Recently, Afghan and foreign museum experts broke open the six safes inside the vault
for the first time in more than 20 years and began compiling a computerized inventory
of the gold for the Kabul Museum. The National Geographic Society provided state-
The treasure also includes thousands of small slivers of appliqué ornaments that
decorated the funeral garments of the five women and one man found in the tombs,
along with gold headdresses and richly worked pendants, dagger and sword hilts and
scabbards carved with jewel-
THE MINARET OF JAM
In a remote valley in Ghor province stands one of the most famous monuments of Afghanistan,
the Minaret of Jam. The Hari Rud River flows rapidly by the lonely tower which is
surrounded by barren mountains. The road is difficult to find and can only be negotiated
by jeep or sports utility vehicle. After the village of Shahrak, a track to the left
leads to the river where the minaret stands in complete isolation. It was only discovered
in 1957 by an expedition led by Ahmad Ali Kohzad, president of Afghan Historical
Society and French archaeologist Andre Maricq, although rumours of its existence
had been circulating for some time. Built in the 12 th Century, it is the only well-
It consists of a low octagonal base some 8m across and three cylindrical stages.
It is accessible through a set of double spiral staircases that run from the base
to the circular top. The first is decorated with geometrical patterns in fired bricks,
arranged in panels separated by vertical bands of Kufi calligraphy etched in stucco
and accented with turquoise ceramics. A wide horizontal band of blue tiles with more
Kufi inscription runs around the top end in which, in a line of naskhi, the name
of the calligrapher is given as 'Ali'. The inscription includes the complete Sura
19 of the Holy Quran entitled as Maryam, the mother of Jesus. It speaks about Virgin
Birth and numerous prophets such as Adam, Noah, Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Ishmael and Enoch. The second and third stages are decorated with horizontal bands
of inscriptions, again in fired bricks. The stages were originally separated by galleries,
which have not survived. Along the shaft are several balconies and at the top is
a large lantern which has also collapsed. The Persian and Central Asian tradition
can be seen in its rich ornament of glazed tiles, stucco and the profusion of carved
bricks and the use of wooden tie-
The inscriptions confirm that the minaret was erected by Sultan Ghiyas ud-
The minaret's beauty is not its only attraction. It is also of considerable importance
to understanding the history of the Ghori Dynasty and the history of Islamic civilization
and architecture. In this regard, much of its mystery has yet to be unveiled. Historians
and archaeologists have wondered for decades about its initial purpose. A topographical
survey of the site was made by Herberg and Davary, which showed in the immediate
neighbourhood of the minaret the ruins of a citadel, a small fort on a hill guarding
a side-
Perhaps more important in terms of immediacy is that threats continue to plague the Minaret. For years, the unguarded site has been the target of illegal excavations and looting. Experts say many items from the Ghori Period have vanished. Sections of the minaret's elaborate brickwork have been torn out and stones have been removed from the wall to be reused elsewhere. Today, there are many illegal digs along the north bank of the river.
The minaret is also in danger of collapsing. Built at the junction of two rivers
-
These threats have led UNESCO's World Heritage Committee to add the site, which is already on its "World Heritage List" to its "World Heritage in Danger List" in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of the Minaret of Jam in the international community.