The Times
Jerome Starkey in Mes Aynak
The gold still glistened after a more than a thousand years underground; the gemstones glinted at their first touch of sunlight, undimmed by a millennium in the dirt. “It’s a necklace,” said a Polish archaeologist, breathless with excitement. “They’ve found a gold necklace!”
As the fine grey sand of Afghanistan’s sun-bleached mountains was gently sieved away, there was treasure in the pan: tiny golden orbs adorned with even smaller gold beads, tulip-shaped pendants no bigger than a fingernail, red gemstones and swirling gold bowls, like acorn lids. Next to them were two spoons and a brooch made of copper, green from corrosion, and two copper hair pins embellished with gold.
Excavations at Mes Aynak have already unearthed three Buddhist monasteries and an ancient copper mine replete with statues, coins, reliefs and murals — more than enough to secure its place as one of the most significant archaeological digs in a generation.
Yet last week’s discovery was the first time since the archaeologists started work in 2009 that anyone has found jewellery in the mountains, 20 miles south of Kabul. With at least three more monasteries to be explored, Afghan officials hope the discoveries will elevate Mes Aynak into the archaeological pantheon, alongside Tillya Tepe, home of the Bactrian hoard.
The archaeological remains in Logar province date from the 1st to the 7th centuries; first settled by the Khushan dynasty and eventually abandoned by the Hephthalites, with the advent of Islam in Afghanistan. “The gold, the wall paintings, the statues all suggest that the inhabitants of the site were quite wealthy,” said Hans Curvers, the lead archaeologist on site. “Not a surprise when you live in the place were the Kushan empire mines its main financial resources.”
Philippe Marquis, director of the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA), said that the discoveries were “very significant”. He added: “There was a small city here. Mes Aynak is going to bring significant changes to our understanding of Buddhism in Afghanistan.”
But the treasure is both a blessing and a burden for the Afghan Government, which is desperate to start exploiting its minerals. The archaeological sites sit directly on top of a world class copper deposit which a Chinese state mining company paid $3 billion (£1.9 billion) for in 2008. It was Afghanistan’s largest foreign investment, and allegedly came with a $30 million bribe to the then minister of mines.
The Afghan Government hopes to earn up to $350 million a year in royalties — equivalent to 20 per cent of Kabul’s total tax revenue — once the mine is fully operational, but they recently agreed a 12-month delay to give the archaeologists more time.
The Government has also spent $6.5 million clearing Soviet-era landmines from the site. “The original timelines didn’t take into account the realities on the ground,” said Nasir Ahmad Durrani, the deputy minister of mines. “But we believe that by 2014 we will be able to start commercial production.”
Western officials familiar with the deal are less sure. The Chinese have improved the road to the mine and built a camp to house their workers, but they are yet to start work on the railway or the power station, as per the terms of their contract.
Omar Sultan, the deputy minister of culture, hopes to relocate the monasteries in a purpose-built museum near the site of the mine, which will also exhibit the newly discovered gold. “This was a crossroads of civilisations,” he said. “We have a cultural heritage that doesn’t just belong to Afghanistan. It belongs to all of humanity.”
