KABUL, Afghanistan — To mark International Museum Day on May 18, the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture organized an exhibition of ancient relics in Kabul.
However, fresh footage from the National Museum of Kabul shows that the ancient Buddha relics and statues are not visible and have been removed.
The three-day exhibition is titled after the Islamic Period, the Bronze Age, and Ai-Khanum. The Deputy Minister of Information and Culture of the Taliban stated that the Kabul Museum hosts relics with a history of up to 200,000 years.
“There are some relics that are 200,000 years old. There are many relics that are 50,000 or 30,000 or 10,000 and 5,000 years old,” said Saaduddin Saeed, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of Information and Culture.
According to data from the Kabul Museum, there are a total of 60,000 ancient relics. However, the statues that were previously in the museum are not seen in this exhibition.
“We request the officials of the Islamic Emirate and the Afghan government to pay attention to the management of Afghanistan’s cultural relics and heritage,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Kabul.
The Deputy Director of the National Museum called on the international community to provide assistance in preserving and maintaining the country’s cultural heritage.
The National Museum was founded in 1919 during the reign of Amanullah Khan, but during the civil wars, 70 percent of its ancient relics were looted.
