Preservation of Cultural Heritage
CULTURE
One of the most exciting and precious aspects of Operation Ibn Sina is the discovery and preservation of the rich cultural heritage and tradition of Afghanistan. In the entire region between Mesopotamia and the old India one finds traces of entire cities of the Bronze Age, traces of almost entirely vanished civilizations, which must be unearthed with the greatest care, since they will give clues to one of the earliest cradles of our human civilization.
The Harappan civilization, for example, developed the first accurate system of standardized weights and measures. They created sculpture, seals, pottery and jewelry from materials such as terracotta and metal. The entire area which had several high points in its history, and was named once the “Land of the Thousand Cities,” has by far not been studied sufficiently from the standpoint of its groundbreaking contributions to the universal history of mankind.
One of the most important locations along the Ancient Silk Road, the 5,000 year old historical heritage site Mes Aynak, is a fountain of treasures from different periods, which must be protected as one of the most important parts of Afghan history. It is assumed that it contains 19 different archaeological sites, including two small forts, a citadel, four fortified monasteries, several Buddhist stupas, a Zoroastrian fire temple, ancient copper workings, smelting workshops, a mint, and miners habitations. Mes Aynak also contains remnants of earlier civilizations, going back to the 3th Century BC. It will open up insights into the early phases of the science of metallurgy, mining, tool making going back thousands of years.
The fact that it is located in the middle of a copper mine, which is worth many billions of dollars, and has been sold to the Chinese mining firm MCC, and could obviously generate extremely valuable economic activity and jobs, must not threaten the conservation of this world heritage. In the new paradigm of international relations, which is emerging now in the world, a solution to save the cultural treasures of Afghanistan will be found, perhaps as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, or through the action of some other international organization such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), starting with Mes Aynak.