The director of the National Museum of Afghanistan talked about the possibility of destroying Afghanistan’s cultural heritage following the Taliban attacks.
According to ISNA, Jibril Nokandeh, Director General of the National Museum of Iran, in a note referring to the intense concerns over the destruction of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage and museums:
More than 90% of the land is out of the control of the central government. One of the issues that are unfortunately endangered and threatened in such conflicts is the destruction of cultural heritage, especially the smuggling of historical objects, the attack on museums and the endangerment of the lives of museum staff, and the security of historical objects.
The previous record of the Taliban destroying Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage is still vivid. The director of the National Museum of Afghanistan said: I am currently (Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 18:30 Tehran time) in the museum so that I can take the necessary measures.
“My family is worried because I am both a government employee and the director of the museum, but I am worried about the works and my family and my country,” he said.
Dr. Rahim asked to warn the international community about the danger of destroying museums and Afganistan’s cultural heritage, to declare that if they capture a city, at least respect its cultural heritage and museums. Finally, he called on the international community to help prevent the possible destruction of cultural and historical monuments.
Many Afghan and Iranian museum and heritage artists have expressed concern about the Taliban’s history of dealing with Afghanistan’s cultural heritage in previous wars and the destruction of many of the country’s monuments. They have called for support from cultural communities.
In the provinces that have fallen so far, museums have been safe from his contacts. However, it is feared that they will be threatened at any moment.