Más de 800 artefactos robados han sido devueltos al Museo Nacional de Afganistán en Kabul por el Museo Británico, con la ayuda del Ministerio de Defensa.
Ranging from Bronze Age grave goods and 1st-century ivory carvings to a rare 2nd/3rd-century sculpture of Buddha, and Medieval coins, the 843 objects reflect almost all periods of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage from the 3rd millennium BC onwards. Many are believed to have entered the black market during Afghanistan’s civil war in 1992-1994, when more than two thirds of the exhibits at the National Museum in Kabul were stolen or destroyed.
Some of the items were seized by the UK Border Force while being smuggled into the UK, while others were recovered during investigations by the Art and Antiques Unit of the Metropolitan Police. After being identified as originating in Afghanistan, the artefacts were stored at the British Museum for safekeeping and recording until their return to Kabul.
This brings the total number of looted objects restored to the National Museum to over 2,330, following another effort by the UK Border Force, British Museum and International Red Cross in 2009, which saw the repatriation of 1,490 seized objects.
Among the artefacts returned on 15 July were examples of the Begram Ivories – delicate 1st-century carvings designed to decorate Indian furniture and feared lost in the civil war. Identified on the black market in 2010, the ivories have since been conserved at the British Museum and featured in their temporary exhibition Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World, in 2011.
Other items include Bronze Age Bactrian statuettes and cosmetic flasks; Greco-Bactrian, Kushan and Medieval Islamic coins; and Islamic metal and pottery vessels.
Neil MacGregor, director del Museo Británico, dijo: ‘Estoy encantado de que estos importantes artefactos hayan sido devueltos de forma segura al Museo Nacional de Kabul. Este es el resultado del diálogo continuo entre nuestras instituciones culturales, así como del apoyo de las autoridades para identificar y preservar elementos de la colección nacional de Afganistán que habían sido sustraídos ilegalmente durante años de conflicto.’
En 2011, el Museo Británico firmó un Memorando de Entendimiento de tres años con el Museo Nacional de Afganistán, en el que ambas partes acordaron continuar los esfuerzos de colaboración para identificar y devolver a Kabul los objetos que habían sido robados durante la guerra civil o exportados ilegalmente.
