BACTRIAN BOUNTY
The three-month exhibition, Afghanistan: Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, featuring artifacts from a legendary gold hoard, opens in Beijing’s Palace Museum. Wang Kaihao reports.
If you want to see artifacts from the Bactrian hoard, your time has come. A selection of around 20,000 gold artifacts excavated in 1978 from several tombs in Tilla Tepe in northern Afghanistan by a GreekSoviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi is displayed in Beijing.
National treasures from Afghanistan — a country along the Silk Road that has seen continuous war and social upheaval over the past few decades — offer new insight into the country’s past.
The gold items are probably the first things to catch the visitors’ attention. But other artifacts, including stone articles, bronze ware and glass art also sparkle in the exhibition hall.
The three-month exhibition, Afghanistan: Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, opened at the Meridian Gate Gallery in the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, on Friday.
The 231 exhibits are from the period covering the third century BC to the first century AD. They were unearthed from four archaeological sites in Afghanistan and give visitors a glimpse of the initial years of the Silk Road.
A crown, a tiny but exquisite ibex figurine and a sheath carved with two dragons — all from the first century AD — are prominently displayed.
They are part of the Bactrian hoard (named after an ancient kingdom) — one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world, according to Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, director of the National Museum of Afghanistan, from where the exhibits have come.
“Afghanistan, which was at the crossroads of the ancient routes (of the Silk Road), was a place where people from different cultures used to congregate and exchange goods,” Rahimi says.
He says this exchange is responsible for the coexistence of artistic styles from different civilizations among the exhibits.
The winged Aphrodite good example of this.
The figure has a dot on her forehead, a testament to Indian influence, while the wings of the Greek goddess show local elements.
Similarly, some vessels on display portray a bearded bull, which is clearly of Mesopotamian origin. Other vessels have geometric motifs of Central is a Asian origin.
“A pendant in the shape of the Dragon Master shows a distinct Chinese influence, while the representation of Athena on a ring shows a Greek influence,” Rahimi says.
Among the other interesting artifacts are a glass dolphin, which is surprising since Afghanistan is landlocked. There are also plates made of materials found only in Egypt.
Long history
Palace Museum director Shan Jixiang says the ongoing event is the first exhibition of relics from Afghanistan in China.
“The two countries have a long history, and Zhang Qian (a second-century BC Chinese diplomat) is known to have traveled to Bactria,” he says.
Incidentally, the story of the Bactrian gold and how it has been looked after since it was found in 1978 is as fascinating as the hoard itself.
Janan Mosazai, Afghan ambassador to China, says Afghanistan was invaded by the former Soviet Union a year after Sarianidi excavated the treasures. This was followed by a civil war and takeover by the extremist Taliban group, which was desperately seeking the gold.
“But a group of officials from the National Museum (of Afghanistan) took a huge risk and moved all the Bactrian hoard to the vaults of the national bank,” the ambassador says.
“They locked the treasure away and jammed the locks, so nobody could open the vaults.”
They then refused to tell the Taliban where the treasure was.
Museum officials shared the secret of the treasure with the world in 2003 after the Taliban lost power.
“It was a joyful moment in Afghanistan’s history,” says Mosazai.
In 2007, artifacts from the Bactrian hoard began to be exhibited around the world. They’ve been brought to more than 20 museums, attracting more than 2.5 million visitors.
“We take the exhibition around the world as it is an example of the common heritage of humanity,” says Mosazai.
The ambassador says the exhibition will tour other museums in China.
“This exhibition is a chance for us to show the real image of Afghanistan as an unparalleled center of cultural exchanges,” he adds.
Closer collaboration
Mosazai says the exhibition is part of the collaboration between the two countries in preserving historical relics, especially in view of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
He cites the case of ancient Buddhist ruins found in an Afghan copper mine by its operator — a Chinese mining company.
“We were excavating (the relics) for several years,” he says. “But we have limited resources, and we want the support of our friends, especially cultural institutions in China like the Palace Museum, to protect the relics.”
He also says that there are many other projects in the pipeline, such as training to preserve artifacts, exchanges of experts and the protection of archaeological sites in Bamiyan province, known for its giant Buddha statues that the Taliban destroyed.
In October, the Palace Museum held a forum on the protection of relics from ancient civilizations in Beijing. Shan says that represents the museum’s intention to build an international framework to enhance collaboration.
“The destruction in Syria and Iraq is horrific and barbaric,” Mosazai says.
“Once you lose artifacts, they cannot be replaced. That is why we believe the preservation of archaeological sites around the world, especially in countries where resources are limited, is extremely important.
“So, joint efforts by Afghanistan and China are important for reviving the ancient Silk Road and strengthening cultural ties not only between the two countries but the whole region.”