Taliban to search for Bactrian treasure
The Taliban have begun efforts to locate and locate a Bactrian treasure discovered four decades ago, in the Tela Tapa area of Sherbergan district, in the heart of northern Jawzjan province. Taliban officials from the caretaker cabinet’s Ministry of Information and Culture reported the development on Thursday. Ahmadullah Wasik, deputy head of the Cabinet’s Cultural Commission, said his assessment showed that the National Museum, the National Collection and the National Gallery and other historical and ancient monuments are safe in their places, Tolo News reported.
Wasik also said that he has entrusted the relevant departments to find and examine the Bactrian treasure, which is recognized as one of the largest collections of gold in the world. Wasik said permanent agreements with international organizations to preserve the sites and artifacts would be respected.
“The issue is under investigation, and we will collect information to know what is the reality. If it is transferred (out of Afghanistan), it is treason against Afghanistan. The government of Afghanistan will take serious action if This and other antiques are taken out of the country,” he said.
The Bactrian Treasury is an important asset of Afghanistan which was brought to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the former government in February 2021 and displayed to the people. However, after the fall of the former government, concerns were raised about its security. The collection is made of jewelry and gold and was discovered at the site of an ancient royal cemetery. The remains of seven people were decorated with thousands of pieces of gold, reports Tolo News.
The collection, which has been exhibited abroad, is made up of 21,145 pieces of gold. Experts say that the treasure belongs to the Kushan Empire.
(with ANI inputs)
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