Saving Mes Aynak: Buddhist Afghanistan (film)

Brent E. Huffman (YouTube); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Saving Mes Aynak (doc)

(YouTube Movies & TV) SAVING MES AYNAK (buy or rent) follows Afghan archeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan [and 2,600-year-old Buddhist monastic complex] from imminent demolition by Chinese miners. A Chinese state-owned mining company is closing in on the ancient site, eager to harvest $100 billion dollars' worth of copper [and rare earth minerals] buried directly beneath the archeological ruins [built near gold, which was used in the decoration of Buddha statues, jewelry, and ornaments].

Only 10% of Mes Aynak [which is at least one square mile of buildings] has ever been excavated, though, and some believe future discoveries at the site have the potential to redefine the history of Buddhist Afghanistan and the earliest history of Buddhism itself. China is investing nearly three billion dollars in Afghanistan's untapped copper reserve, the second largest in the world worth an estimated $100 billion.

Save Buddhist Afghanistan

The cash-strapped government of Afghanistan signed away the rights to this deposit with little oversight [as the American military and the CIA in league with Pakistan's version of the CIA (the ISI) were pulverizing the ancient nation]. The Chinese government-owned company plans to mine the copper using an open-pit method, the cheapest, most environmentally destructive style of mining. By doing so, the archeological site, as well as the entire mountain range, will be completely demolished.

SAVING MES AYNAK examines the conflict between cultural preservation and economic opportunity through the lens of the Afghan archaeologists and local villagers who work and live near Mes Aynak. Qadir Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists face what seems an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and local politics to save their cultural heritage from likely erasure.

Actor: Qadir Temori. Director: Brent E. Huffman. Genre: Documentary. Provider: Quiver. Rating: Unrated. Release date: 2016. Total running time: 58:03. Audio: English. Subtitles: English.