Touring Afghan artifacts arrive in Hong Kong for a special showcase

HONG KONG－A batch of 231 items and sets of "national treasures" from Afghanistan recently made it to the Hong Kong Museum of History after traveling to 28 museums across the world.

The rare artifacts showcased in an exhibition, Glistening Treasures in the Dust－Ancient Artifacts of Afghanistan, comprise gold items, glassware, bronze sculptures and ivory carvings unearthed from the four main archaeological sites of Tepe Fullol, Ai Khanum, Tillya Tepe and Begram.

"These items cover a time span from the Bronze Age to the first century AD, which demonstrates the profound influence of ancient foreign cultures, such as Greek, Roman and Indian, on Afghanistan and its surrounding regions," says Ho Wai Yee, curator of collection at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum of the Hong Kong Museum of History.

"This also evinces its cultural diversity, embracing the features of different steppe cultures," Ho adds.

The event, jointly hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's leisure and cultural services department and the National Museum of Afghanistan, is one of the key exhibitions for the museum this year. The exhibition runs through February.

Key exhibits include a golden bowl engraved with a bearded bull unearthed from Tepe Fullol, gold artifacts that integrate different cultural elements of the Eurasian regions and a plaque depicting Jataka scenes of the Buddha's previous life. These artifacts also attest to the role Afghanistan played as the cultural crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, which promoted exchanges among world civilizations.

"Afghanistan is a place that people feel is both strange and familiar," Ho says, adding that people are familiar because they often read news stories about the political situation there, but few are aware of its splendid culture.

This exhibition offers a good opportunity for Hong Kong residents to understand more about Afghan culture, she adds.

The precious collection originally stored in the National Museum of Afghanistan has been under threat since Afghanistan was plunged into political turmoil in the 1970s. Museum staff transferred the artifacts to different locations to protect them from being destroyed at home.

In 2006, the collection made its global debut at the Guimet Museum in France, which marked the start of its long world tour. The artifacts were presented in eight cities in China, including Beijing and Dunhuang in Gansu province, in 2017. The Hong Kong Museum of History has also produced a 12-minute documentary, introducing the Afghan people's efforts to preserve the exhibits.

"We firmly believe that the cultural heritage that we protect represents the spirit of the Afghan people and reflects our common history," Muhammad Rahimi, head of the National Museum of Afghanistan, says in the documentary.

The 13-year tour around the globe has helped to accumulate experience and know-how about packaging, transporting and protecting the artifacts so that their beauty can be appreciated by a wider audience. But in the meantime, people can't help but wonder－when can these pieces eventually return home?

ZHANG WEI/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

ZHANG WEI/CHINA NEWS SERVICE