A 12th-century mosque and minarets from 1417 are visibly cracked, with ornate tiles falling to the ground in Herat, Afghanistan. The ancient monuments had been neglected even before Afghanistan’s severe 6.3-magnitude earthquakes in October, in which more than 1,000 people died. Now the Herat monuments are showing significant signs of damage while the Taliban government
Khaama: Gulalai Farida, known as Ustad Mahwash, is one of Afghanistan’s most beloved musicians, earning titles such as “Ustad” (meaning master) and “Lady of Afghan Music” throughout her illustrious career. After five decades of artistic dedication, she bid farewell to the stage. Click here to read more (external link).
The Art Newspaper: The Zinda Jan and Injil districts sustained the worst of the damage. Arash Boostani, a project manager for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in Afghanistan, who had visited some of the villages in those districts over the years, says many of them contained ancient vernacular architecture structures that dated back
Science.org: Looting of archaeological sites in Afghanistan is continuing, despite vows by the Taliban government to protect the nation’s cultural treasures, a recent analysis finds. Using artificial intelligence (AI) to help comb through a trove of satellite images, researchers at the University of Chicago’s (UC’s) Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation found that looters are still
Ariana: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that 7,500 pregnant women were affected by the recent string of earthquakes in Herat province. The UNFPA wrote on X, that the loss of loved ones has a very bad effect on pregnant women. This United Nations agency said that it has sent psychotherapeutic counselors to the
8am: Barat, a revered cultural icon and elder of the Jaghori district, resided here nearly a century ago. His legacy was marked by significant contributions to charity, road and bridge construction, and the establishment of schools. His altruistic endeavors earned him immense respect and popularity among the district’s inhabitants. Regrettably, this incident is not an
Roshan Noorzai VOA News September 13, 2023 WASHINGTON — The Taliban government has been pressing for the extraction of copper from Afghanistan’s Mes Aynak mine as an additional revenue source, but the mine is located at an ancient historical site, which worries some archaeologists. The mine is more than 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul in the
Shapoor Saber Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 17, 2023 Soon after seizing power in Afghanistan, the Taliban outlawed music and publicly beat and humiliated musicians. Now the militant group is intensifying its clampdown on Afghans playing and listening to music, which it considers un-Islamic. In the western city of Herat, members of the Taliban’s notorious
8am: The Taliban, who took control in August 2021, regularly attack musicians and destroy their instruments, often depriving them and their families of their livelihoods. It is outrageous to see the Taliban rulers silencing the voices of so many talented Afghan artists who simply want to share their music with the world. Jawid Shawqi, once
The Art Newspaper: Art degrees in Afghanistan are gradually disappearing from government-run institutions as Taliban’s restrictions deter students and scholars from entering higher education. Before the fundamentalist group’s takeover in August 2021, the fine arts faculty at Kabul University offered eight degrees and had more than 1,000 students. Today, however, only two degrees are on