Phys.org: After bearing the brunt of jihadist dynamite and looting by thieves, the archaeological treasures of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province are facing a new and possibly more daunting threat: climate change. Afghan officials warned in a 2016 United Nations report that the structures “may collapse and suffer from severe erosion”due to conditions directly linked to climate change. The Global
AA (Turkey): What’s in a bread? For some it signifies sustenance, others call it an equalizer shared at the table by the rich and poor alike. Perhaps to justify the sheaves of wheat etched onto its flag, Afghanistan offers food lovers a rich variety of local flatbread. They come in all shapes and sizes; from the iconic
Tolo News: Sculptures of nine buddha heads, and a torso, are being returned to Afghanistan from Britain. Experts believe that nine clay heads and a torso carved from schist shipped to London in 2002 were made in Buddhist monasteries in Afghanistan between 4 and 6 AD. The heads may have been broken off from torsos during
Xinhua: “I have been working as a model over the past four years and my dream is to become a popular model to attend major overseas fashion shows in future,” whispered Yalda Haidari. Wearing a traditional dress and cat walked in front of some 200 spectators with majority of them men, the courageous Haidari, 25, admitted
The Guardian (UK): In a deeply conservative society ravaged by years of war, Afghan women still want to be free to wear clothes with style -There’s a steady stream of customers coming through the doors of Rahiba Rahimi’s fashion studio. The 25-year-old’s bold, intricate designs are fitted on mannequins and hung on rails around her
AFP: Sporting a black quiff and sideburns, Ahmad Zahir sang of love and heartbreak in liberal 1970s Kabul – a city now plagued by war and suffering, but where the popularity of Afghanistan’s “Elvis” remains undimmed 40 years after his death. Click here to read more (external link).
Associated Press: The Taliban fighters arrived with hammers and hatred. What they left behind is laid out on tables at the National Museum of Afghanistan, 18 years later: shattered pieces of ancient Buddha figurines, smashed because they were judged to be against Islam. Click here to read more (external link).
Defense One: The group continues to attack sites and antiquities. In May, Taliban fighters in northwest Afghanistan attackedsecurity posts that were providing protection for the ancient Minaret of Jam. The 12th-century minaret, known for its intricate brick construction and ancient Arabic calligraphy, is one of only two sites in Afghanistan that hold UNESCO World Heritage status. The attackers killed 18 members of the government security
The Independent (UK): Ancient Buddhist clay heads and other precious artefacts looted from Iraq and Afghanistan and illegally exported to the UK will soon be returned to their country of origin. The British Museum is working with the UK Border Force and other agencies to help to return the items seized during recent conflicts. Click here to read more (external link).
The Washington Post: Fabio Colombo picked up a clay-colored fragment, one of hundreds arrayed on tables in a room in Afghanistan’s National Museum. He applied several adhesive drops and pressed it carefully to a larger fragment. A figure was beginning to take shape — a Buddha sculpted in ancient times, one of an estimated 2,500 such objects