Afghan National Museum Reopens Under Taliban Guard, Staff Unpaid

Key facts

• The National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul reopened for the first time since the Taliban took power on August 15, 2021.
• Staff have not been paid since August, like all Afghan public employees, and there are frequent power outages.
• Armed Taliban militias guard the museum.
• The museum houses artifacts from the Paleolithic period (44,000–12,000 BCE) to the 20th century.
• The museum currently attracts 50–100 visitors daily.
• In August, the museum expressed concern for the safety of its artifacts due to the chaotic situation.
• Director Mohammad Fahim Rahimi said the day the Taliban returned to Kabul was 'the worst of my life.'
• The Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture has committed to preserving cultural sites.
• During previous Taliban rule, about half of Afghanistan's cultural heritage was lost, including the 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas.
• UNESCO, the British Museum, and the Greek government helped rebuild the museum and its collection of about 50,000 artifacts.
• Afghan artists have appealed to the British government for refugee status.
• Arts for Afghanistan sent a letter to the U.S. government signed by 350 artists and creatives.
• Artists at Risk sent letters to Boris Johnson, Joe Biden, and other European leaders to expedite political asylum processes.