War damage, looting and lack of maintenance have taken a heavy toll on Afghanistan’s built heritage. The task of documenting and inventorying monuments and sites in all 32 provinces of Afghanistan with the objective of identifying needs and co-ordinating the restoration and conservation effort is of the highest priority, but to date little has been done. Independent projects have protected some monuments from further degradation, for instance the construction of a canopy over the Masjid e Noh Gumbad site in Balkh, which was erected with the support of the Agence pour cooperation technique et development (ACTED). A wall was also built around the base of the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam in 2000 by SPACH, just before the floods. In Herat Province an old law was resurrected that ensures that a portion of the customs taxes are used to conserve historic monuments. However, as the Director of Historic Monuments in Herat pointed out, there are over 400 sites or monuments in that province, and even with the customs revenue many monuments are left uncared for. In the north new bulldozer tracks can be seen at one site, an attempt by the local leader to unearth gold or statues which command a good price in the art market overseas. In many shops small statues and pottery utensils are for sale to tourists. This damage to a previously unexcavated site has destroyed all hope of complete academic study and interpretation. When questioned about the recent destruction, the district chief replied, ‘Taliban’. UNESCO’s main concerns are to enhance the national capacity for the preservation of cultural monuments and to help the government to establish a national strategy for the preservation of the Cultural Heritage. As co-ordinator of the projects to assist in the heritage area, it has a mammoth task.

Whilst the University of Kabul has a Faculty of Archaeology, this does not teach restoration and conservation skills. Afghanistan has a small group of experienced academics, craftspersons and restorers, but to date there has been little attempt to pass on the skills and knowledge of this older generation to younger heritage staff. Mohammad Sharif Mohammadi, Consultant to the Director of Monuments in Mazar e Sharif, suggests that master classes, for example by calligraphers to teach tile makers about different scripts, or apprenticeship programmes for engineers interested in conservation, would be an excellent means of transferring skills.

The extension of contemporary international restoration and conservation skills, techniques and equipment could of course bring significant progress to the beleagured Afghan heritage sector. The Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage (SPACH) has plans to offer seminars on heritage-related topics involving visiting professors. These would be open to the general public and technical staff. Restorers and academics from the provinces would be invited to attend and there would be some funds available to cover their travel costs. The ideal training would be in country, enabling foreign specialists can see at first hand the handicaps such lack of equipment and space that Afghan conservationists must deal with. Training sessions can then be geared to the specific problems facing the Afghan heritage sector. Jolyon Leslie of the Aga Khan Foundation noted that there is an urgent need for skilled conservation volunteers to assist with the rehabilitation of Kabul’s old city and the rebuilding of parks or heritage sites around the country, at the same time transferring their skills to local restorers. He envisions skills transference sessions on specific tasks of between three weeks’ and two months’ duration and stresses the need to build an Afghan team which could continue the restoration work on their own, after the foreign consultants have left. These projects would be ongoing and complementary, and as one segment finishes and the feedback is analysed, another project could be started.

Many relevant documents needed to support the restoration and conservation of the Afghan heritage are currently housed in private libraries, notably the Bibliotheca Afghanica-Afghanistan Museum in Bubendorf, Switzerland, the Asian Studies Library at the Afghan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) in the Prime Ministers Compound, Kabul, the British Library and Afghan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU) in Peshawar, Pakistan. When the World Monuments Fund came to Mazar and offered assistance the Ministry was unable even to supply the information needed on their application forms, let alone prepare a proposal in the required format. Some information was found in the library of ARIC and other information in the National Archives in Kabul. But a sectoral documentation centre and a librarian to run it are greatly needed. Above all an assistant must be trained in how to write proposals.

Much needs to be done at grassroots level to promote the concept of cultural heritage protection and ensure that local people are fully engaged in the task of preserving and maintaining their national heritage. To many Afghans there would appear to be little difference between the idea of foreign archeologists digging and taking away pottery shards or figures for study and that of local people digging and selling the pieces at a profit. Excavation teams which also train residents to protect and care for sites will add to the understanding. Education is the key to this process. Two generations have now grown up with little or no idea about their culture and why they should be held accountable for it. Pending the revision of the curriculum, efforts must be made to raise awareness in the community through the provision of reading materials, posters and special programmes for schools and community groups. Short workshops could be organised for interested students on existing research and the importance of the monuments. Scholars and specialist could prepare information on Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage for dissemination on radio or television. A radio discussion about a monument and its preservation could be followed by a phone-in question-and-answer session with an expert on the monument. SPACH has written three books about historical sites in English, Dari and Pashtu, which can be sent to schools and libraries. SPACH has also assisted in the production of a 30-minute film which takes the viewer to every corner of Afghanistan to visit the greatest monuments. National Museum Director Omara Khan Masoodi hopes to set up museums in every province to highlight the history of the region. An understanding of the importance of the sites in the vicinity of provincial museums will help curb the looting and attendant destruction.

Presentation and interpretation are other key areas which require attention, along with the production of tourist maps and brochures. Prior to the wars the National Museum in Kabul was one of the most complete national museums in the world, yet it had few visitors. Academics and tourists were the largest groups to visit. Educational events and interesting programmes that link the history taught in the school systems to the new generation and the promotion of the living heritage will encourage Afghans to visit. At the present time there are no trained tour guides with specialist knowledge of Afghan culture, and accurate information must therefore be taught.

The situation in the regions is complicated by other issues. Most alarmingly, little or nothing is currently being done to protect outlying provincial heritage sites from looting. Mohammad Sharif Mohammadi, a consultant in Mazar e Sharif, believes that this will always be difficult until there is greater control at regional level. ‘Afghanistan needs a government with popular support. Only with the people’s backing will the government be able to disarm and neutralise the regional commanders.’

Conflicting claims to proprietorship hardly help. The Ministry of Haj and Religious Endowments claims that Azrat Ali Rowza Mosque in Mazar e Sharif belongs to them, the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs says it falls under its control and the people who work in the Mosque say it’s theirs. The Interim Government has said ‘it belongs to all of you’, but this does not solve the problem of how to preserve and develop the site effectively. This has happened at many sites. Many say that the Interim Government must take a strong line and decide who is in charge of what site.

Relationships between the regions and foreign heritage institutions are at present limited. Although Mazar is a region rich with monuments and archeological sites, the local authorities have few ongoing relationships with foreign institutions. This situation, coupled with the relative autonomy enjoyed by provincial governors, means that even foreign visitors with a letter of introduction from the Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs may find the time and length of their visits strictly controlled by regional commanders.