Taliban Government Backs 18-Month Conservation of Ancient Buddhist Site Mes Aynak in Afghanistan
In Logar province, Afghanistan, the Taliban government is endorsing an 18-month conservation initiative at Mes Aynak, a Buddhist city that dates back 2,000 years and sits atop a copper deposit valued at over $100 billion. Situated 40 km southeast of Kabul, the site boasts more than 50 structures, including stupas and Zoroastrian temples. In 2008, Afghanistan, under President Hamid Karzai, entered into a mining contract with a Chinese firm, jeopardizing the site. Following the US withdrawal in 2021, the Taliban committed to its preservation. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has been allocated $1 million from Aliph for restoration and conservation planning, employing around 350 local residents. Deputy Minister Atiqullah Azizi highlighted the importance of merging economic growth with cultural safeguarding.
Key facts
- Mes Aynak is a 2,000-year-old Buddhist city in Logar province, Afghanistan, 40 km southeast of Kabul.
- The site sits on the world's second-largest untapped copper deposit, valued at $100 billion.
- In 2008, the Afghan government under Hamid Karzai signed a contract with a Chinese company for open-pit mining.
- The Taliban government is supporting an 18-month conservation project led by AKTC and Aliph.
- Aliph provided $1 million to AKTC for restoring protective structures and developing a conservation plan.
- The project will employ about 350 local professionals.
- Deputy Minister Atiqullah Azizi confirmed the ministry's commitment to preserving artifacts while seeking economic benefits.
- Aliph was founded to prevent destruction like the Taliban's 2001 demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas.
Entities
Institutions
- Aga Khan Trust for Culture
- Aliph Foundation
- Afghan Cultural Heritage Consulting Organisation
- The Art Newspaper
- Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan
Locations
- Mes Aynak
- Logar province
- Kabul
- Afghanistan
- Bamiyan
- Shewaki