Destruction of Afghanistan

Attached is yet another article on the ongoing destruction of the cultural and artistic heritage of Afghanistan. As we contemplate this sordid spectacle of pillage fueled by greed and ignorance, it is impossible not to mourn for future generations in Afghanistan who will never know or see the art treasures that are being heedlessly destroyed or sold abroad by some of their unscrupulous countrymen today.

However, we must also keep in mind the responsibility of outside powers and of foreign money in these crimes against civilization. Ten years of indiscriminate and barbaric attacks by Soviet air and ground forces succeeded in leveling over 70 percent of the built environment in Afghanistan.

Neither historic centers of civilization, such as Herat and Kandahar, nor humble villages were spared destruction in this brutal sideshow to the quarrel between the two great Cold War powers.

What the Barbarians from the North failed to destroy between 1979 and 1989 is now being systematically pillaged and destroyed by local Afghan warlords, factions and gangs -- most of the latter still armed, financed and pandered to by foreign patrons.

Those patrons now also include the international artgalleries, auction houses, museums and private collectors are paying top dollar for works of art looted from museums and archaeological sites in Afghanistan. Historical monuments still standing are being stripped of epigraphic friezes, tiles and other architectural ornament. Reportedly much of this theft is now being "commissioned" by clients who direct looters to the specific sites and types of items that are likely to yield the greatest financial return.

Scholars and others who have studied these cultures and artifacts are faced with a clear ethical responsibility. They can -- and should -- do what colleagues in other fields, such as pre-Columbian art, have done in similar circumstances. The ethical choice for Historians of Islamic Art is to make a formal commitment: to refuse to publish or exhibit objects for which a clear and clean provenance has not been established ... and to shun dealers, collectors and others who traffic in such objects.

The kind of wholesale appropriation of cultural heritage (by theft or uncontrolled sale and export) that was considered "comme il faut" at the end of the nineteenth century is no longer acceptable as we head into the 21st.

I propose to the board of HIA that it consider and draft a resolution to this effect and that they recommend its adoption by the membershipof the organization.

Any comments and additional suggestions are welcome -- please post them to the list at large so others can respond to them.

Andras Riedlmayer riedlmay@fas.harvard.edu -------

THE ART NEWSPAPER (London) No. 66 (January 1997)

War Damage: Afghanistan's Sites Devastated

Last month we revealed the terrible fate of the Kabul Museum and the heroic efforts being made to save the surviving remnants (see The Art Newspaper, No.65, December 1996, pp,1-3). But damage to the sites which originally provided much of the museum's collection has been equally severe. In compiling our survey, we are particularly indebted to the Pakistan-based society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage. Their reports have been supplemented by eyewitness accounts from recent visitors to war-torn Afghanistan. Visiting the country is not easy, and frequently dangerous, so The Art Newspaper is very grateful for their assistance.

Our survey starts in the north, near the Tajikistan border, and moves south towards Pakistan:

Ai Khanum.

The most easterly Greek city (4th-2nd century BC) is being systematically pillaged. The eastern part of the site has been levelled by bulldozers, to facilitate the digging, and loading ramps have been built for trucks which then remove the earth. Photographs taken late last year show that the huge mound is criss-crossed with a grid of illegal excavation pits. One informed source told us that looting is being done "with the authority of local officials". Marble from the ancient city is used as building material for a mosque and houses for mujahideen commanders.

Telia Tepe.

The Bactrian burial mounds (1st century BC-1st century AD) yielded spectacular gold treasures in the late 1970s. Other nearby graves are said to have been looted in the past few years. Gold rings and cups which are similar to those originally excavated at Telia Tepe have been reported in the bazaars of northern Afghanistan and Peshwar.

Balkh.

The Citadel (pre-13th century) has been badly damaged by looters who have used mechanical diggers. One recent visitor told us: "Commanders of the military posts stationed around the walls and civilian officials have a hand in the antiquities business." It appears that the looters may have made a discovery which eluded French archaeologists who had searched since the 1920s for the original Greek city (1st century). Fluted columns which have been recently dug up could well be from this period. The ancient 2nd-century Tepe Zargaran (Hill of the Gold Dealers) has been extensively dug over in the past two years, with looters exposing staircases, wells and architectural features. Our contact reports that last year he was shown jewellery being sold by the illegal excavators.

Tashqurghan.

Until recently this was one of the earliest surviving covered bazaars in Central Asia (17th century). It was almost entirely destroyed two years ago by shell and tank fire, during heavy fighting between the Uzbek warlord Dostum and Hizb-i Islami militia. The bazaar has now been totally abandoned.

Bagram.

The site of the famous Bagram ivories (2nd century) is feared to have been looted. It lies close to a large military airbase, and the area, twenty miles north of Kabul, is now in disputed territory being fought over by Junbesh militia and the Taliban.

Bamiyan.

The two colossal Buddhas (5th-6th century) cut out of the rock, the largest standing 180 feet high, still survive intact, although the surrounding hills are mined. The nearby monastic cells have been used as barracks for the mujahideen and many of the ancient cave paintings have been blackened by soot from cooking fires and wartime graffiti (one reads "commander Din Mohammad and Commander Homayun from Jauzjan Province were here, April 20 1995"). Water seepage resulting from drainage problems have caused further damage. There are also fears that Islamic fighters may have defaced the Buddhist paintings.

Herat.

The Gawhar Shad Mausoleum (16th century) has been damaged. When the area was fought over by the Russians and the mujahideen in the late 1980s the surrounding walls and trees were destroyed, exposing the tiled dome to windy weather. This is believed to have damaged the painted interior of the dome. The nearby minarets (14th-15th century), with the finest example of Timurid work, are also badly damaged. One was destroyed during the fighting, and two others are now tilted to an alarming degree and have small holes. Herat was captured by Taliban forces a year ago, but since last November there have been air attacks by Dostum's forces.

Kabul.

The Bagh-i Bala palace of Amir Abdur Rahman (19th century) was in good condition until recently, but there are fears that in the past few weeks it may have been damaged by the Taliban. One source claims that it is being "badly treated by the commander of security billeted there." The Pavilion of Amir Abdur Rahman (19th century) was hit by a rocket. The historic Babur Garden (16th century ) has been destroyed, its trees being cut for firewood. The Bala Hisar fortress (continuously used since the Iron Age ) was occupied by General Dostum's forces in 1992 and became the centre of fierce fighting with mujahideen two years later, when it was badly damaged by shelling. Although a closed military base, observations through a telephoto lens suggest extensive damage. The fort is currently occupied by the Taliban militia.

Hadda.

The Buddhist site (2nd-7th century) was destroyed during fighting between the Russians and mujahideen in the 1980s. The area is heavily mined. Plundering continues and no trace of the exquisite Gandharan statuary survives.

Ghazni.

The palace of Sultan Mas'ud III (12th century) has not been examined by experts because the area is mined. From a distance it appears that the long, decorated marble inscription may have been removed.

Politically, the situation in Afghanistan is as unstable asever. The Taliban ultra-fundamentalists control most of the south of the country (including Herat and Hadda) and seized the capital Kabul on 27 September. To the north, power is in the hands of Uzbek warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum, military chief in the former communist government. He has formed an alliance with other militia leaders, including General Ahmed Masood, and they are taking the offensive in trying to push back the Taliban from Kabul. Peace now looks as far away as ever. When it finally arrives, this troubled land will find that much of its heritage has been lost forever.