KABUL, March 17: The first of more than 1,400 Afghan artefacts, the most significant being a ceremonial glass phallus believed to have been used by Alexander the Great, were unpacked on Saturday in the biggest return of such items in nearly 70 years.

The artefacts -- ranging from ancient treasures more than 2,300 years old to more mundane items such as traditional cloth caps — were unpacked from a container that brought them home on Friday from years in Switzerland.

Collected after a worldwide appeal in the late 1990s to try to salvage some of Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage looted in war, the items were returned because the country is considered stable enough to keep them safe. “A very big part of Afghanistan’s lost treasures comes back to Afghanistan”, a minister said.—AFP