The National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul Photo: courtesy of Yu Yong

A Koran on display at the museum Photo: courtesy of Yu Yong

A head of a Buddhist statue in the museum Photo: courtesy of Yu Yong

Appearing as a rather inconspicuous building from the outside, the National Museum of Afghanistan is actually home to one of the most valuable and representative cultural collections to be found in Afghanistan, if not the world.

Located in the capital Kabul, the building housing the museum has stood for over 100 years. However, due to wars that spanned decades across the country, the museum has witnessed the theft and destruction of many of its relics, as well as, on some fortunate occasions, their return.

During the fairly calm takeover of the Taliban-led guards in mid-August, the museum had to close for a while. The museum is now reopening after nearly four months, welcoming tourists from across the country and around the world.

The Global Times visited the museum, accompanied by deputy museum director Muhammad Yahya Mohebzada.

After a simple security check by Taliban soldiers and the purchase of a 100 afghanis (97 cents) note, the Global Times reporter entered the museum.

“It’s cheaper for the locals,” Mohebzada noted.

“But due to the bad economy, it is still a burden for the locals to pay for the tickets. Yet we have seen many people, like students, come in groups here to learn the history.

“Yesterday there was a group of about 150 students who came to see the collections.

Not just Islamic relics

As a place with 1,000 years of history, Afghanistan has been home to many different cultures, including Buddhist, Persian, and Islamic civilizations. Therefore, the cultural vestiges of the region are impossible to ignore, even when they are brought to the world stage.

The attitude of the Taliban guardians towards these relics is that they must all be protected, regardless of differences in their cultural or religious origins.

About 15 to 20 percent of the exhibits are of Islamic heritage, the rest are non-Islamic relics such as Buddhist statues and statues from the Kushan Kingdom (135BC-AD375) founded by Emperor Kanishka in the Bactria region in the northern Afghanistan. Statues of Hindu deities, which contrast sharply with Islamic statues, can also be seen throughout the museum.

Additionally, oil paintings created by local painters, folding screens from China, and porcelain vases from his Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) can all be seen in this two-story building.

Funded by the Taliban

“The government has an open attitude towards the management of the museum and has not placed any restrictions on this location,” a staff member told the Global Times.

“The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has acknowledged their determination to preserve the cultural sites, historical antiquities and monuments of Afghanistan,” wrote a report by the Khaama News Agency, based in Afghanistan.

The day after the Taliban entered Kabul, they took control of the museum, evacuating all staff and preventing them from entering the building.

A month later, the Taliban returned the museum to the management team, stepping back to ensure only the security of the building.

“No antiques have been stolen from the museum since the takeover,” Mohebzada recalled.

For security reasons as well as the limited exhibition space at the museum, only part of the collection is on display. A majority of the collection is currently stored in the basement of the museum, while the most valuable relics are kept inside the former presidential residence.

When asked if the museum receives financial support from NGOs or other organizations, Mohebzada told the Global Times that there is currently no channel within the museum to accept financial support. international organizations.

He noted that the museum currently has over 80 staff, consisting of both men and women, and their salaries are fully paid by the Taliban government.

Close ties with China

As the largest museum in the country, both in terms of floor space and the size of its collection, the century-old museum has encountered many difficulties in keeping its relics safe due to decades of war.

From 1992 to 1995, the museum lost almost all the objects in its collection and only half, over 50,000 objects, were subsequently recovered.

To avoid any further loss from the war, much of the collection is now on display inside the museum, once traveled overseas on a world tour that included a two-year exhibition in China.

Mohebzada, who has worked at the museum for over 30 years, accompanied Afghan treasures on a nationwide tour of China from 2017 to 2019.

“I communicated a lot with my counterparts in China. The country made a deep impression on me, ”he said, referring to his experiences on the tour.

“I thank them for their efforts to protect Afghan heritage.

In March 2017, the relics debuted in China.

They were first exhibited at the Beijing Palace Museum, after which the precious cultural relics were “relayed” to museums all over China, such as in Gansu, Henan and Hunan provinces.

A certificate from a Hunan museum was presented to Mohebzada to thank him for showing these relics to China.

The certificate remains on display on a shelf in his office at the National Museum of Afghanistan, testifying to the friendship and cultural exchange between China and Afghanistan.

Noting the difficulties faced by the museum in Afghanistan, the Beijing Palace Museum in November released a proposal signed by 21 prominent scholars from China and abroad that called for international attention and support for Afghan cultural heritage and local cultural experts.

Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum, told the Global Times that China is playing a more active role in protecting international cultural heritage and is willing to play a greater role in protecting cultural relics of Afghanistan, a country with unique treasures. long threatened by political unrest.