Kabul, Feb 18: The war-ruined Kabul museum's entire top floor is missing - except for the windowless outer walls - and the first floor is a wreck of tangled wires and bare light-bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
Many of the museum's centuries old artifacts have been destroyed or stolen, and the only piece of art still visible is a large marble basin made in the southern city of Kandahar in the 15th century.
But with British help, several rooms have now been renovated and officials are hopeful that some of the precious artifacts can be restored.
The work was done in consultation with the British museum in London and with help from the British embassy in Kabul, said Omara Khan Masoudi, museums director at the Ministry of Information and Culture.
British peacekeepers in the 4,000-strong multinational
force that patrols the city also assisted, he said.
The museum was wrecked during civil war in the 1990s, and
rival Islamic groups - some of whom are currently in power -
emptied it of most of its artifacts.
The former Taliban regime destroyed what was left, saying the museum's human images were idolatrous or offensive to Islam.
Workers have been piecing together ancient statues and
other objects that have been in storage.
"We're restoring the artifacts, but it's a long process,"
Masoudi told the news agency. "The museum is still not
open to the public, but we hope it could be by the end of
next year."
Bureau Report
