Underground ancient city found in Afghanistan

Frontier Post ^ | Updated on 7/19/2002 12:02:39 PM | PPI

[vannrox]

Underground ancient city found in Afghanistan

Updated on 7/19/2002 12:02:39 PM

Kabul (PPI): An underground ancient city, dating back to about 1,700 years ago, has recently been found in Lowgar Province in east of Afghanistan.

The city belongs to the age of Kushan empire.

Covering an area of 30 square kilometers, it is buried under a great heap of earth and stones.

Lots of ruins of buildings can be found in the city which is located in the mountain areas of the province.

The towers, walls and irrigation system of the city show its grandeur in the ancient time, said Minister of Information and Culture Sayed Mohammad Raheen who visited the ancient city few days back.

[vannrox]

This is interesting.

[NativeNewYorker]

This is great! Archeology via air power! :)

[wretchard]

Afghanistan before Islam was the site of ancient and magnificent civilizations, of which the famous Bamian Buddhas (destroyed by Taliban tank fire) are but a remmnant. Winston Churchill, campaigning through the Swat valley in 1897, wrote:

"In ancient times this region was the seat of a Buddhistic kingdom, and was known as Woo-Chang or 'Udayana', which means 'the Park' and proclaims the appreciation, which its former possessors had of their pleasant valley. 'The Park', which includes all the country on both banks of the Swat River, was famous for its forests, flowers and fruit. But though the valley retains much of its beauty, its forests have been destroyed by the improvidence, and its flowers and fruit have declined through the ignorance, of the fierce conquerors into whose hands it fell."

Perhaps archaeologists of the far future will find, to their surprise, that the Hagia Sophia mosque was formerly a Byzantine Cathedral and that the ruins of a great city lies under the dusty goat tracks of Man El-Hattan.

[habaes corpussel]

This just proves the fact that bombing the Afghans back to the stone age was actually an advancement.

[Kenny Bunk]

There are many "Persians" now resident in the United States. I have met some who have told me they feel the same way about their homeland, Iran and its culture. That is, the flower of their once high civilization was crushed by Islam.

[TADSLOS]

Lots of ruins of buildings can be found in the city which is located in the mountain areas of the province.

How can you tell the difference?

The towers, walls and irrigation system of the city show its grandeur in the ancient time

Yeah, time stood still there like the rest of Central Asia and the Mid-East around the 12th Century. The whole place is one big archeological park.

[Samwise]

[Saturnalia]

Note to archaeologists:

If you encounter non-Euclidean geometry and references to "when the stars are right" RUN.

[muawiyah]

Actually, you can attribute the downfall of Persian culture to the Greeks under Alexander.

It's just never been the same since!

[Tennessee_Bob]

You rang?

[Gwaihir]

Sorry, Bob, that one gets found on the South Pole.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Dang it, you're right.

I should have posted this one:

[El Gato]

Covering an area of 30 square kilometers, it is buried under a great heap of earth and stones.

I wonder who they PO'd 1,700 years ago? Sounds like something the Romans might have done, similar to Carthage's fate. But I don't know that the Romans got that far east.

[lavrenti]

Wrong, boyo. He's out in the South Pacific.

[VaBthang4]

No doubt US Navy SEALS found it while searching for the remaining hillbilly Mujihadeen scurrying around the country.

That or the difference between 1700 years ago and modern day trashcanistan arent that different. Thus nobody really noticed.

[jaz.357]

EVERYBODY-"WOO-CHANG"-TONITE!