Featured A brave protector of art.

"Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, director of the National Museum of Afghanistan, says he will stay on and help preserve cultural treasure"

https://www.thenationalnews.com/art...es-future-i-was-ready-to-give-my-life-for-it/

The museum is closed, but the site hasn't been taken down:

https://www.nationalmuseum.af/

 

Do I remember correctly that the Taliban ruined a number of religious and cultural treasures when they were in charge before?

 

IIRC they detroyed some ancient Buddhist statues carved out of living rock because they weren't Islamic. Never mind that they predated the rise of Islam in that area.

 

The best hope is that the Taliban will realize that those items are a potential source of foreign currency.

 

What a courageous soul. Id have been on the first plane out were I him,with as many of the treasures I could carry. Not to sell,but to save. Everyone knows what the Taliban will do eventually,as soon as they tire of trying to convince the world they are a changed entity.

 

Betrayed by the USA and the UK.

 

And their Continental and Australian allies didn't know what hit them, and were forced to pull out at short notice too. Poor, devastated Afghanistan.

Another people who are always betrayed by the West, yet always help them, are the Kurds.

 

The giant Bamiyan Buddhas before the destruction:


The site of the big Buddha after the Taliban did their 'religious duty':


Digital reconstruction of what the big Buddha would have looked like in the 6th century:

 

iconoclasts

 

Every power takes its shot at Afghanistan, and every power fails.

 

Exactly. No other country can take Afghanistan, and even Afghan rulers have rarely had power over the whole country.
It is best not to try, that saves everyone a lot of hardship.
Unfortunately the Taliban first came to power due to foreign (US, in that case) intervention. And look what that landed the Afghan people in.

 

So much for learning from history.

 

l'Histoire se répète, history repeats itself.

 

I think the Western powers should arm every Afghan woman over 18 with $500 US, an AK 47....and 5000 rounds of ammunition !!!!
Then stand back ...... wait for the dust to settle ...and offer help rebuilding their infrastructure..!!!

 

There are such brave people in every bad situation. Interesting comments.

 

I love Big Buddha. What a marvel of the ancient world he was.

 

"A Group of 12 Art Trade Associations Has Vowed to Prevent Cultural Heritage Trafficking From Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan
The organizations have warned their members to be on the alert for looted artifacts circulating on the market.

The art trade associations also urged governments to be careful about returning artifacts to Afghanistan now that it has fallen to Taliban control. “The current acting Minister of the Interior is Sirajuddin Haqqani, a terrorist wanted by the FBI and with a bounty of up to $10 million on his head,” the letter said."

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a...-21&utm_term=EUR Daily Newsletter [AFTERNOON]