Kabul's treasured past

Published September 29, 2011
Many of the museum's original pieces were broken, destroyed or stolen during the Taliban era.
Many of the museum's original pieces were broken, destroyed or stolen during the Taliban era.
A school girl uses a mobile phone to take pictures of artifacts on display.
A school girl uses a mobile phone to take pictures of artifacts on display.
A statue of the Buddha sitting cross-legged is placed in a glass box up a flight of stairs.
A statue of the Buddha sitting cross-legged is placed in a glass box up a flight of stairs.
?Each week there is a new find. Most museums in the world are static, but this one is growing,? said Anne Feenstra, a Dutch architect involved in restoring the museum which itself was heavily damaged in the civil war.
?Each week there is a new find. Most museums in the world are static, but this one is growing,? said Anne Feenstra, a Dutch architect involved in restoring the museum which itself was heavily damaged in the civil war.
A woman worker sits nest to artifacts on display.
A woman worker sits nest to artifacts on display.
They are helping a whole nation slowly rediscover a classical past as a confluence of cultures from India to China and from Iran and central Asia to the East.
They are helping a whole nation slowly rediscover a classical past as a confluence of cultures from India to China and from Iran and central Asia to the East.

While everyone else is worrying about Afghanistan's future, a dedicated band of men and women is gathering up its past, hoping that a growing museum collection will show the world Afghan culture is more sophisticated than the tide of news reports suggest. -Photos by Reuters

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