Afganhistan: Resurrection of Museum Helping Forge New National Identity
EurasiaNet.org NY (30 January 2009)
The National Museum in Kabul, Afghanistan has been newly rebuilt and is working both to restore damaged artifacts and review its inventory. The museum has lost over 70 percent of its holdings due to a succession of wars over the last quarter century, which resulted in the museum being looted, set on fire, and rendered inaccessible to staff periodically, as well as some of its collection specifically targeted for destruction. The Director of the National Museum, Omara Khan Masoudi, UNESCO, and the International Council of Museums is working to reverse this process, and at present is trying to identify looted pieces and encourage their return. Masoudi and others are creating a ‘red list’ of the museum’s former antiquties that will be illegal to own or trade. The museum is also in need of a security system, climate control, and proper illumination to better protect and conserve its collection. While Masoudi laments that there are not more museums available to citizens in Afghanistan’s provinces, he does hope the museum will educate Afghans about their multicultural heritage and that such education and appreciation, especially among the country’s youth, will protect the collection from future looting and destruction.
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav013009g.shtml
 

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