Afghan treasure

Antique works often reveal themselves and are known through two stories: first , how, when and where they are produced; The second is how, when and where they are found. However, the special thing about Afghan treasures on display at the Guimet Museum in Paris had no information about their crafting or their discovery. Just know that they exist.

Treasure buried

In a country where for 27 consecutive years, only constant wars and unrest, with artworks always threatened by looting or destruction, these priceless treasures, including objects used in gold Bactria (Bactria was a emirate, now part of Afghanistan), stored in a tunnel beneath an old palace in Kabul - somehow still intact .

In 1989, Muhammad Najibullah, the president of Afghanistan's last Communist Party, ordered to bury the treasure. Managers and employees of the Kabul Museum later also had to resist the threat and torture of the Taliban to infiltrate safes containing treasures.

This gold belt is part of Afghanistan's historical and cultural heritage
(Photo: BBC)

Thanks to this anxiety and courage, Afghans can now be proud of an evidence for their ancient civilization, dating from the Bronze Age. However, due to continuous security instability in Kabul, they cannot see that treasure unless they visit the Afghanistan, recovered treasures exhibition: Collections of The National museum of Kabul (Afghanistan, treasure is find again: Collections of the Kabul National Museum), held at the Guimet Museum until the end of April next year.

The exhibition exhibits portions of four different collections, but the most striking is a collection of 100 works from about 21,618 Bactria gold works discovered in 1978 by the Greek-Greek archaeologist, Viktor Sarianidi, at Tillia-Tepe site in northern Afghanistan.

Of the six tombs dating back to the first century AD (1/7 were robbed), gold items were used to decorate the bodies and skirts of five women and one man, still intact. Because there was little to know about the Kushan empire ruling this region at the time, the relics had to tell their stories.

Sherazaddin Saifi, director of the Afghan National Museum in Kabul, is restoring an ivory carvings and bronze giving it its original glamor.

A handle of a cauldron (for cooking) is intricately carved, demonstrating Afghanistan's rich past.

Art on the verge of extinction

The Guimet Museum exhibition is a statement of the astonishing beauty and sophistication of these works. Most of the works belong to the jewelry category: rings with engraved rings, necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings, sandals, headscarves, and even something that looks like a crown. Many specimens have both humans and beasts, some with mosaic blue and turquoise stones, all of which are very elaborate.

For example, a small winged specimen was named "Aphrodite Goddess of Bactria". Two other human figures carved with Cupid love gods are riding dolphins. Two golden keys engraved with two soldiers wearing armor and shields. A ring with a goddess Athena, a Greek goddess symbolizing wisdom, is also holding shields and spears. A small statue of the typical forest goat of the Alps.

This necklace was borrowed by the Guimet Museum's secret group of Afghan treasures

Restoration experts at the Guimet Museum are cleaning up treasures.

Gold Bactria - a blend of traditional cultures of Greece, Bactria and nomadic life - vividly illustrates Afghanistan's historical place at the intersection of ancient civilizations: Greece in the West, India and China in the East. In another small collection on display here - Fullol gold jars date from about 2200 to 1800 BC - also see the obvious effect of Mesopotamia civilization (Mesopotamia, civilization includes territory of Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran today).

A Guimet Museum employee on Asian art is working with a statue of a river god found among treasures buried in Afghanistan for more than two decades.

The third collection, the samples found by French archaeologists from 1964 to 1978 in Ai Khanoum area, shows the Greek influence in this region from the fourth century to the second century two BC. Exhibits include porcelain bowls, ivory and bronze figures, Greek carved stone statues, but they are Central Asian men.

The Begram treasure, perhaps the most important treasure ever found in Afghanistan before the discovery of Bactria gold, is known for its ivory figurines carved by river goddesses (many of which are also stored hidden in Kabul tunnel in 1989). India can be clearly seen in their artistic emotions, tiny waist-shaped figures, lots of bare-chested people, standing in sexy poses on fruit-decorated baskets.

This treasure, dating from the first century to the third century AD, also reflects the Greek-Roman influence through painted glassware, depicting hunting scenes, children animals and fish. There is a surprising specimen, a medal of Cupid plaster, hologram.

The beauty is not a record

In 1922, Afghanistan invited French archaeologists to establish a long-term working group in the country as a way to counterbalance British colonial influence. Therefore, for many years of the 20th century, French archaeologists were exclusively excavating the ancient areas here. This agreement, which at the time was popularized throughout the Middle East, also allowed foreign archaeologists to bring back what they found.

Therefore, France not only found a splendid collection of Afghan art, but French scientists also established a tradition of archeologists in this area. In 1982, the mission of the French archaeological mission was terminated in Afghanistan, but was reopened after the outburst of the Taliban in 2003. Also in 2001, the Guimet Museum exhibited an exhibition. called Afghanistan, the story of a thousand years, and the seeds of the present exhibition were sown from that day.

Sherazaddin Saifi, director of the Afghan National Museum in Kabul, is restoring an ivory inscription and copper for its original beauty.

This beautiful dagger, along with many other marvels, was exhibited as part of the Afghan exhibition, recovered treasures at the Guimet Museum.

The specimens were discovered from a secret underground tunnel in Kabul, confirming Afghanistan's wealthy past at the intersection of Silk Road Silk Road, an area's ancient trade route.

A guest is admiring the Afghan treasures on display at the Guimet museum in Paris.

However, in May this year, after President Hamid Karzai confirmed approval of the exhibition and director of Kabul Museum, Omar Khan Massoudi, selected works from the four collections, the Afghan Parliament. has ruled that these specimens are not allowed to go outside the border. Although this decision was later canceled, it took a long time to organize the Guimet exhibition. Unusually, no catalog is released.

With very little information provided about manipulation as well as the circumstances of discovering these treasures, however, this exhibition is more than a compliment that they exist. And only that has shown an extremely rich journey of discovery.

Thuc Phuong