Lost Treasures of Afghanistan (National Geographic Documentary) (6)

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00:00in 1978 but is the gold all here the only way to know is to open all six

00:08safes and catalog their contents

00:15they have just seen a fraction of the collection but already everyone in this

00:23room knows they are part of something extraordinary the unveiling of one of

00:29the largest gold treasures of the ancient world

00:52once this statue of Aphrodite lay upon a princess's chest

01:00Aphrodite is a Greek goddess and you can see that it's a very classically inspired

01:06item but it has some differences the wings on the figurine are not typical for classical

01:14period and it has a little dimple on the head just like the dots in South Asia of Indians

01:21so you can see in this one piece you have this interesting local style which shows sort of

01:28a melting pot of artistic traditions very much a metaphor of the Silk Road being a melting

01:34pot of peoples

01:40on the princess's head lay a collapsible crown

01:43locally made it could be broken down and fit into a saddlebag befitting the princess's

01:50nomadic way of life

01:52the treasure is really important for Afghanistan because most of the pieces are clearly made here

02:03and I think that this has some great use for the Afghan people as their cultural heritage

02:09heritage

02:12it's their past

02:13it's their past

02:14and it can be their future

02:16inside

02:19today's cataloging is about to come to an end

02:22but now at last Victor Sarianidi can put to rest doubts he's carried for decades

02:31his remarkable contribution to Afghan history was not lost

02:36for me it's a great day for 25 years I thought the treasure was lost

02:47I think it's a great day not only for me but for all of mankind

03:06Bamiyan's great day when past terrors will be redeemed is still in the making

03:18the sleeping Buddha may lie here under a thin layer of earth

03:22but to preserve the object that might be its foot

03:25Dr. Tarzi orders the site filled in

03:28The big fragment deserves to be studied

03:38it's too bad that we can't continue to do so right now

03:42but you shouldn't excavate impatiently

03:44because things can be destroyed when you work in a hurry

03:49but you have to have hope and dream about what might happen next year

03:58in the future

04:03Though the sleeping Buddha's discovery lies somewhere ahead

04:07across Afghanistan there is already much to celebrate

04:11Afghans are busy building a future

04:14from pieces of the shattered past

04:28In the future

04:47At the National Museum restoration is guided by the very spirits of history

04:52I think that the sculptor who created this with such beauty

04:59he is here at this very moment

05:02I always see him next to me

05:05And why not?

05:07The lives that have passed today

05:10Their art, their knowledge, and the beauty of their country

05:14Their language, their race

05:16All of these are evident in their art

05:18A nation stays alive

05:21When its culture stays alive

05:24Our people should know what happened

05:27They should know about their culture, about their history

05:31Not far away, Dr. Youssef Assefi

05:33is finding a new way to preserve Afghanistan painting

05:36He is building an art gallery for the future

05:38Hopefully, we can have a gallery to attract young artists to enjoy and work better

05:55For me, it suffices to be a good guide

05:58and provide assistance to young people

06:00At Kabul University, the next generation of sculptors creates art once deemed illegal

06:14And now, there's a place for women, as well as men

06:18In Afghanistan, the past is painful

06:29And the present calm, all too fragile

06:32But now, for the first time in generations

06:36Rescued treasures are in full view

06:39They encourage Afghans with the strength of their past

06:43And offer hope for tomorrow

06:46And offer hope for tomorrow

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