Friday, 23rd May 2008 (1352 views)

Gold artefacts are among a collection of Afghan treasures - some of which are up to 4,000 years old - that is set to go on show in Washington DC before going on tour across the United States, according to reports.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the items in the collection, which includes around 100 gold ornaments, sculptures, sundials and pieces of jewellery, are some of the country's "oldest and most prized" artefacts.

It had previously lay in underground vaults beneath the presidential palace in Kabul and other secure locations after curators decided to hide it 1988 following the withdrawal of Soviet forces.

The newspaper adds that the museum staff had to take a "heroic" vow of silence during the regime of the Taliban in order to save the precious items from destruction.

After the Taliban was removed from power following a US-led invasion in 2001, new Afghan president Hamid Karzai announced that the ancient artefacts - many of which reflect the Roman, Greek, Indian and Chinese cultures that traded in the region over the centuries - had been rediscovered.

The pieces now form a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC The display will also visit New York, Houston in Texas and San Francisco in California.

 

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