The Taliban administration moved 1,430 artifacts from the Aynak copper mine in Logar Province to Kabul for conservation, the Ministry of Information and Culture said.
The collection was described as pottery, stone, metal, glass, bone, and wooden objects dating back as far as 5,000 years. Items included Kushan and Sasanian copper coins, inscriptions, small jars, cups, bowls, lamps, copper bracelets, agate and lapis lazuli beads, ivory pieces, gourds, and stone axes. Archaeologists from the Afghan Department of Archaeology recovered the objects during recent excavations.
“Those artifacts were evacuated from the field warehouse to the central office,” said Sayed Zabihullah Sadat, head of the Department of Archaeology. He added that specialists in Kabul would clean, restore, conserve, identify, and register the pieces.
After processing, the artifacts are planned to move to the National Museum of Afghanistan for public display and long-term storage. Museum staff have begun preparing exhibition cases and storage facilities.
Aynak holds one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits. Officials from the Metallurgical Corporation of China recently said obstacles to the mine had been resolved and extraction would start soon. The ministry did not say whether additional excavations would precede mining.
Archaeologists welcomed the transfer but urged the government to continue digs at Aynak before industrial work intensifies. “Cleaning and repair work must be completed first,” Sadat said, noting that scholars would be invited to study the collection after stabilization.
The ministry said the mix of coins, domestic vessels, and tools pointed to Aynak’s role as a trade and cultural crossroads and would aid research on daily life and craft production in ancient Afghanistan.
Produced with the assistance of a news-analysis system.