"Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul" will explore the rich cultural heritage of ancient Afghanistan from the Bronze Age (2500 B.C.) through the rise of trade along the Silk Road in the first century A.D. Strategically located on the commercial routes between China and India in the East and Europe in the West, Afghanistan was at the crossroads of civilizations in Central Asia.

Exhibition Tour

The exhibition will premiere in the United States at the National Gallery of Art from May 25 through Sept. 7, 2008. Among the nearly 230 works on view in the East Building will be artifacts dating back more than 4,000 years, as well as gold objects from the famed Bactrian hoard, a 2,000-year-old treasure cache discovered in 1978 but hidden from view until 2003. Plans are being finalized for the exhibition to travel to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

The artifacts are on view at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam through April 20, 2008, and were previously on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris and the Museo di Antichità in Turin, Italy. The exhibition is being reorganized for the U.S. tour, with an accompanying catalog to be published by National Geographic Books.

Exhibition Partners, Curator and Grant

"We are delighted to partner with the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Afghanistan in bringing these rare and precious items to the United States," said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president for Mission Programs. "Our goal is to introduce this unique collection of objects to a broad audience and raise awareness and understanding about the little-known ancient cultures of modern-day Afghanistan. We also want to tell the heroic story of the Afghans who risked their own safety to hide and protect these treasures."

The works of art are from collections belonging to the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul. The gold objects from graves excavated at the northern site of Tillya Tepe were long thought to have been stolen or destroyed during the years of conflict in the region. In August 2003 Afghan president Hamid Karzai surprised the world when he announced these treasured gold artifacts had been located intact in the presidential palace bank vault in Kabul, more than 25 years after they had vanished from public view. The find was chronicled in the December 2004 issue of National Geographic magazine.

"Afghanistan has always been the heart of Asia," Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, said. "Afghanistan’s centrality in the Silk Road created a rich mosaic of cultures and civilizations. Although this mosaic was shattered by war and terror, both the spirit of the Afghan people and our cultural heritage survived. These priceless artifacts are a testament to the Afghan people and to the heroism of the brave and selfless Afghans who preserved and protected them. This exhibition is a celebration of Afghanistan as much as it is an expression of our appreciation for the global partnership between our ancient nation, the international community, and our friends in the United States."

"The National Gallery of Art has a long tradition of bringing works of exceptional quality and merit from other cultures and periods to the United States," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "We are very pleased to be working closely with National Geographic and the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, to introduce the American public to these archaeological treasures, their history and their legacy." The exhibition at the National Gallery of Art is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Assisting the team of Afghan archaeologists who verified and inventoried the recovered objects were National Geographic fellow Fredrik T. Hiebert, who will curate the U.S. exhibition, and Carla Grissmann, a specialist of the collections at the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul.

"This exhibition is the culmination of many years of work by the Afghans. Without their courage and commitment, these objects would not exist today," said Hiebert. "Having worked closely with Afghan officials since 2003 on the preservation and inventory of the objects, I am honored to be part of the effort to share these treasures with audiences in the United States and ultimately to enhance the understanding of Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage."

The National Endowment for the Humanities, which provided financial support for the inventory in Afghanistan, has granted a Chairman’s Special Award for the U.S. exhibition that will make possible a wide range of interpretive and educational materials. -- www.nga.gov