Transcript and Answers

Huge riches lie under these hills in eastern Afghanistan.  Historical treasures from a 4th century Buddhist monastery... and further below, a huge copper ore deposit.  Workers and archaeologists are nearing the end of a hasty excavation before work to extract the mineral begins.

"I was heartbroken when I found out the site is going to be destroyed. I'm very unhappy about it."

A Chinese firm won rights to exploit the mine five years ago.  They're helping fund a dig that’s so far unearthed small villages, temples and more than a thousand Buddhist statues.  Up to 80 percent of the site will eventually be destroyed.  Archaeologists have one more year to document and salvage as much as they can.

"We're going to do 3D scans of all the small chapels, so if we want to remove them, we'll be able to reassemble them by constructing new walls and then installing as well as replacing the wall murals, stupas and sculptures."

 The smaller objects are far easier to take away. From statues to coins, pottery and pieces of jewellery, each day brings new, precious finds.  These are some of the oldest Buddhist artifacts in the world -- and well preserved in Afghanistan's dry, arid climate.

All pieces will remain in the country to be stored or displayed in Kabul Museum.
                   
"I believe getting the copper out is also very important economically for our government but the preservation of culture is our priority. It is very important for us that we have to protect them, we have to preserve them, we have to keep them for the next generation of Afghanistan."

The museum has space to exhibit only a fraction of the site's total haul.  It's an opportunity for Afghans to better understand their rich cultural heritage.  Each artifact represents the country's glorious past but also the sacrifices made in the hope of a more prosperous future.

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