Preserving Afghan Buddhist treasures

Al Jazeera English, July 6, 2020; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Preserving Buddhist treasures in Afghanistan

(Al Jazeera English) Some of the earliest statues of the historical Buddha [who grew up in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, which was part of ancient Gandhara, Indo-Sakastan, according to maverick Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal] are among precious items housed at the National Museum of Afghanistan. But the US estimates that nearly 70 percent of the treasures have been looted from the museum or destroyed during four decades of war or under strict [CIA-inspired] Taliban rule. Now historians at the University of Chicago and teachers in Afghanistan are working together to preserve what is left of this cultural pre-Islamic heritage. Al Jazeera's John Hendren reports.

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