The Taliban’s ministry of information and culture says that a delegation from the ministry’s Archaeology Department has surveyed 44 archaeological sites and historic monuments in the provinces of Ghazni, Zabul, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Farah, and Herat, and has decided to establish and demarcate the boundaries and protected zones of these sites.
Sayed Zabihullah Sadat, head of the Taliban’s Archaeology Department, said that archaeological sites and historic monuments constitute an important part of Afghanistan’s identity, history, and culture, and that their preservation is of particular importance.
According to the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, in addition to surveying the sites and determining their protected boundaries, efforts have also been made to organize public-awareness and educational programs for government officials and local communities on the importance of cultural heritage.
Sadat said these programs could help protect historical and cultural artifacts, raise public awareness, and prevent the destruction of archaeological sites and unauthorized construction.
The announcement comes amid criticism of the Taliban over their record on protecting historical and cultural sites. Previously, an old cinema in Kabul was demolished, while the building of the “Amir Dost Mohammad Khan School” in the Dehmazang area was included in plans for urban development and road expansion.
In February this year, a number of cultural figures in Kandahar also claimed that the Taliban-run municipality had demolished a historic building that had belonged to the state treasury during the reign of Ahmad Shah Baba.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
