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Mining could endanger treasures
Treasures from Afghanistan’s largely forgotten Buddhist past are buried beneath sandy hills surrounding the ancient Silk Road town of Mes Aynak – along with enough copper to make the land glow green in the morning light.
An estimated five million tonnes of copper, one of the biggest deposits in the world, could provide a major export for a war-ravaged country desperately in need of jobs and cash. But the potential bonanza could endanger rare artifacts that survived the rule of the Taliban and offer a window into Afghanistan’s rich pre-Islamic history.
“The copper mine and its extraction are very important. But more important is our national culture,” said Abdul Qadir Timor, director of archeology at Afghanistan’s Culture Ministry. “Copper is a temporary source of income. Afghanistan might benefit for five or six years after mining begins, and then the resource comes to an end.”
The government is determined to develop Afghanistan’s estimated $3-trillion worth of minerals and petroleum, an untapped source of revenue that could transform the country. The withdrawal of U.S.-led combat forces at the end of 2014 and a parallel drop in foreign aid have left the government strapped for cash. It hopes to attract global firms to exploit oil, natural gas and minerals, ranging from gold and silver to the blue lapis lazuli for which the country has been known since ancient times.
Beijing’s state-run China Metallurgical Group struck a $3-billion deal in 2008 to develop a mining town at Mes Aynak with power generators, road and rail links, and smelting facilities. Workers built a residential compound but were pulled out two years ago because of security concerns. Nazifullah Salarzai, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said the government is determined to finish that project.
Archeologists are scrambling to uncover a trove of artifacts at the site dating back nearly 2,000 years which shed light on a Buddhist civilization that stretched across India and China, reaching all the way to Japan.
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