China And Afghanistan’s Minerals: Archaeologists Still Scrambling To Save Mes Aynak

[Judi Lynn]

China And Afghanistan’s Minerals: Archaeologists Still Scrambling To Save Mes Aynak

By Kathleen Caulderwood@katcaulder[e-mail]
on August 25 2014 4:56 PM


[font size=1]
A Buddha statue discovered at the Mes Aynak archaeological site in the eastern province of Logar, in Afghanistan. The ancient city sits on top of one of
the world’s largest known copper deposits, which is currently on lease to a state-owned Chinese mining company. Brent Huffman [/font]

Over a decade ago, the world was outraged when the Taliban destroyed two massive Buddha statues in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan valley in a vendetta against all Islamic art. Today, an even larger and older collection of artifacts is under threat, but this time the conflict has more to do with economics than religion.

Mes Aynak is a 9,800-acre archaeological site in Afghanistan’s Logar Province. It was once a major city on the ancient Silk road, and is home to structures dating back more than 2,600 years. Archaeologists say it’s a cultural goldmine, but others are more concerned with what lies beneath it -- 5.5 million metric tons of high-grade copper ore.

Six years ago, China’s largest mining company signed a $3 billion agreement with the Afghan government for rights to the site, a move cheered for its potential to boost jobs and the country’s struggling economy. But the decision left archaeologists scrambling to recover what cultural heritage they could before work on the mine began. Even though the company has delayed its project for other reasons, tight budgets and a lack of assistance from the Afghan government means the ancient city is far from safe.

“It was very clear since the beginning that the provisional schedule for mining was overly optimistic,” said Philippe Marquis, an archaeologist at the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA) which started working at Mes Aynak a year after the deal was inked.

More:
http://www.ibtimes.com/china-afghanistans-minerals-archaeologists-still-scrambling-save-mes-aynak-1668808

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Thanks, Judi Lynn! Brent is a DUer. This is an issue very close to my heart.

... all archaeological activities were cut off in May on order from the Ministry of Mines for a variety of reasons. Among other reasons, the Afghan archaeologists hadn’t been paid for more than seven months and finally went on strike.

But it’s not just getting paid, workers are also worried about their safety. This year’s Afghan election was fraught with fears of fraud and corruption that have only increased tensions, especially in the rural areas where local groups can pose a threat to foreign workers.

“Another serious issue is a significantly decreased security in Logar,” Lemiesz said. “In the past months we were faced with a series of serious incidents such as rocket attacks, IEDs set inside the so-called ‘Security Zone’,” he said, adding that he was “seriously concerned” about the safety of expats on the ground.

...

The city is still likely doomed to be demolished and replaced with a copper mine, but for now, that fate may be delayed for a bit longer. 

The Chinese government would love nothing more than to exploit this site and the sweet people of Afghanistan. Thanks for shining a light on this!

[emsimon33]

2. Another great read

Thank you