The early part of the 20th century saw the beginnings of the Afghan nation state. Boundaries were set and treaties of friendship were signed between Afghanistan and Turkey, Persia, the Soviet Union, Italy and France. The Monuments Department and Institute of Archeology were at first two departments of the National Museum set up in 1922. In September 1922 the French government was contracted to conduct an archeological dig. The agreement was for 30 years and the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA) took on the task of co-ordinating and training the fledgling Afghan archeological studies programme.

Thereafter the Afghan desire to expand diplomatic relations encouraged foreign scholars to visit and archeological surveys flourished. During the late 1950s the newly-founded Afghan Academy and the Historical Society began publishing findings of scholars and archeologists in Pashtu, Dari, English and French, contributing significantly to the development of Afghan historical studies. In 1966 the Afghan Institute of Archaeology was officially relaunched with the aim of co-ordinating excavations, protect archeological sites and further the scientific study of the history of Afghanistan. In 1979 it became a Department of the Ministry of Science and in 2002 it became an Institution under the leadership of the Ministry of Information and Culture, now the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs.

However, from 1979 to the present the work of the Institute of Archeology has been seriously curtailed by the fighting and more recently by the lack of funds. Security in the field is one concern, as skirmishes between different factions still occur and the looting of archaeological sites continues to raise funds for their armies. The largest project to map the cultural heritage will need support from numerous agencies and a large amount of cash.