Home > Cultural Heritage - Updated: 03-03-2003 8:36 am
b) What has UNESCO done so far?
To fulfil its responsibilities, the Organization has launched an immediate Afghan Cultural Heritage Assessment Campaign to evaluate the damage and to develop a list of priorities for preservation work.
Sites under review include the Kabul Museum BamiyanValley, the Minaret of Jam, Herat, including the Friday Mosque, the Musallah complex, particularly the Fifth Minaret, the Gawharshad Mausoleum, the Ali Sher Navaï Mausoleum and the Shah Zadehah Mausoleum complex.
Interest in providing funds to Afghanistan in close cooperation with UNESCO has already been expressed by the Governments of France, Germany, Greece and Italy. UNESCO estimates that a minimum of US $ 3,600,000 is needed for the restoration of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. Donations can bewired to the Special Emergency Fund for Afghan Cultural Heritage, or to a special Funds-in-Trust.
UNESCO’s first mission to Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban regime was carried out in December 2001 by Mr Paul Bucherer-Dietschi, Director ofthe Swiss Afghanistan Museum. Representatives of the Kabul Museum, together with Archaeologists from the Kabul Institute of Archaeology, were contracted to identify the remains of smashed statues, store them in protective boxes and evaluate their restoration needs.
Mr Bucherer-Dietschi also assessed the destruction at the Bamiyan site, noting that this extended beyond the large statues of Bamiyan to the smaller statues of Kakrak and Foladi. UNESCO has now secured the preservation of the ruins by placing the remaining large stone blocks under fibreglass covers to protect them from harsh weather conditions.
In March 2002, Prof. Andrea Bruno and Prof. Marco Menegotto carried out a mission to assess the Jam Minaret, the National Museum in Kabul, as well as various monuments in Herat, and these two experts have provided UNESCO with reports and proposals for future action In particular, the Jam Minaret needs to be protected and safeguarded as soon as possible in order to prevent illicit excavations and floods. Steps to inscribe the Minaret on the World Heritage List are being taken by the World Heritage Committee.
