Thursday 12 January 2012

Afghanistan’s Hidden Treasures

Back in 1979, Soviet archaeologists digging in Afghanistan stumbled upon more than 20,000 gold coins and artifacts from over 2,000 years ago. Experts believe that they belonged to the Silk Road culture of Bactria, an important culture in Afghan history. The ancient treasure was hidden away in a secret chamber, inside of locked boxes, during the next 20 years for safe-keeping. Nobody knew about the treasure, and many thought that it was actually stolen during conflicts in Afghanistan during that time period. Finally, these secret locked boxes were cut open, and the treasure was again revealed in 2004. Keeping this treasure a secret was very important because the Taliban had looted and stolen 80% of Afghanistan’s treasure in 1996, but they never knew of the Bactria treasure that was hidden away in 6 large locked boxes. This treasure is now being stored in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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