The cultural treasures that are on the way in Norway are 4000 years old, according to the director of the National Museum in Kabul. The Afghan Embassy is now contacting the Norwegian authorities.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Ny Tid reported on 30 May about Afghan cultural treasures that are probably going astray in Norway, after a former Afghanistan soldier illegally brought a bunch of old coins and a vial into the country. The Cultural History Museum in Oslo estimates that the treasures may be 2000 years old and believes the incident is just one of several examples of cases where other countries' cultural monuments are imported to Norway. Omara Khan Masoudi, director of the National Museum in Kabul, tells Ny Tid that the taxes are older than first thought.
- We have studied the objects. They are 4000 years old – from the Bronze Age. From a historical perspective, they are very valuable to Afghanistan, Masoudi says from his office in the museum which was looted and destroyed during the Afghan civil war at the start of the 1990 century. In recent years, the museum has been rebuilt with help from abroad. The 57 year old archaeologist has thus witnessed massive looting of his museums and the nation's archaeological treasures.
- I am shocked. It is sad to hear that a Norwegian soldier who came here to serve the country and our people has smuggled out historical treasures belonging to the Afghans, he says.
Contact the government
Masoudi says that an expert team has inspected the taxes. They have seen the objects in photos provided by Ny Tid, and concluded that they are similar to similar things that are buried in northern Afghanistan. He says he will write to the Norwegian government via the Afghan Foreign Ministry to ensure that taxes return.
"The taxes belong to Afghanistan, and they must be returned to Afghanistan," he says.
- I'm not sure the soldier stole them. Maybe he got them by mistake. But we must address this with the Norwegian government so that they can help us find the taxes and return them to us. The soldier must be encouraged to give them back, he says.
The Afghan embassy in Oslo says in an e-mail to Ny Tid that they also know about the case. They have now contacted the Norwegian Ministry of Defense to find out what has happened.
Plagued by looting
However, Omara Khan Masoudi in Kabul commends the Norwegian government for returning 65 manuscripts that "somehow" were smuggled out of the country last year.
- Norway is one of the countries that has given us a lot of support to rebuild the museums. They have helped us rebuild the country. I am sure they will do everything they can to find and return the stolen treasures to us, he says.
Afghanistan, with its ancient history, has been one of the most exciting archaeological sites in its region. However, continuous war and unrest, including a Russian invasion and perpetual internal conflicts, have led to widespread looting of the country's taxes.
In March 2001, the Taliban Islamic militia ravaged the world's largest Buddha statue, which had stood in Bamyan province for 2000 years. They also destroyed all other statues that came in their way, including some that were in the museums. Masoudi witnessed this, but all he could do was shed some tears.
- But at that time it was war, he says.
The depleted Afghanistan, which is trying to stand on its own and rebuild the country with international help, has taken some small steps since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, but the looting and the illegal excavations continue.
Parts of the text have been translated by Inger Johanne Luitjens
