Amidst Shrapnel in Afghanistan, an Archaeology Discovery

Fox ^ | Tuesday, August 17, 2010 | Reuters

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists in Afghanistan, where Taliban Islamists are fighting the Western-backed government, have uncovered Buddhist-era remains in an area south of Kabul, an official said on Tuesday.

"There is a temple, stupas, beautiful rooms, big and small statues, two with the length of seven and nine meters, colorful frescos ornamented with gold and some coins," said Mohammad Nader Rasouli, head of the Afghan Archaeological Department... We need foreign assistance to preserve these and their expertise to help us with further excavations."

The excavation site extends over 12 km (7.5 miles) in the Aynak region of Logar province just south of Kabul, where China is mining copper ore as part of its multi-billion dollar investments in the Central Asian country.

Rasouli said the mining work had not harmed the sites -- which were known but had not been examined in detail -- but smugglers managed to loot and destroy some relics before the government excavation work began last year.

Government and foreign troops are battling an insurgency led by the radical Taliban movement which destroyed Buddhist statues at Bamyan during its five-year control of the mountainous country from 1996 to 2001, viewing the monuments as an affront to Islam.

Many antiquities and historical sites were destroyed or pillaged during decades of civil war and foreign interventions.

Now almost entirely Muslim, Afghanistan has seen eras in its long history when other faiths such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism were widely practiced.

Rasouli said the government did not have the resources to move the relics from the remote area, which has seen some clashes during the insurgency, but hoped to build a museum there instead.

[SunkenCiv]

• Scientists Map Out Destroyed Afghan Buddha in Preparation for Reconstruction
• Find Stirs Sleeping Buddha Talk
• Afghan Who Had (Buddha) Statues Destroyed Killed
• The Edicts of King Ashoka
• The plight of Jews in Afghanistan

[SunkenCiv]

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[ThePatriotsFlag]

They better hide them so the Taliban doesn’t blow ‘em up!

[SunkenCiv]

Better yet, they need to destroy the Taliban by obliterating the entire population of any hellhole village where the adult male population supports the Taliban. Figuratively of course.

[rawcatslyentist]

Either we obliterate them, or they will obliterate US!

History shows just how well they "play" with others. Co-existence is NOT POSSIBLE.

[Reily]

To all

What people should realize that Islamist’s say there is no history worth remembering prior to Islam. We all know about the ancient Buddhas blow up by the Taliban.

The Egyptian Islamic Brotherhood has stated that they will destroy the ancient Egyptian monuments and works because they are un-Islamic.

[Doulos1]

“where China is mining copper ore as part of its multi-billion dollar investments in the Central Asian country”

Let’s see, we are standing guard (losing American service men), while the lousy Red Communists are mining precious metals to bolster their economy? What is wrong with this picture? We are being played like fools.

[Rebelbase]

[Karliner]

taliban is like the fake pali’s in that they generally destroy anything past. Building a museum would merely be a quick target.

[colorado tanker]

Xuanzang was a Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled through Afghanistan and visited Bamyan on his way to India. His autobiography is well worth a read, describing a world that has largely disappeared.

[Rebelbase]

Thanks for the reading recommendation. The only things I have read about that time/location were from Marco Polo and some texts on Ghengis Khan.

[aruanan]

Taliban Muslims Join Dove Outreach Center in Public Destruction of Religious Idolatry

"This demonstrates the close ties our two religions have"--local cleric sez.

[colorado tanker]

I checked Amazon and it looks like there is a new edition out after the book I read.

[Rebelbase]

Found it as a PDF on google books.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ct.