Afghanistan - Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul

£16.99

“Afghanistan - Hidden Treasures…” is a superb illustrated book, giving a face to Afghanistan and it’s rich history without modern conflict forfeiting the treasures within.

In 1978, an archaeologist unearthed a tomb sealed for 2,000 years to discover one of the great finds of history: an extraordinary trove of hundreds of artifacts comprising some 22,000 individual pieces of gold. Within months, a Soviet invasion isolated the country and the treasure disappeared into legend once more - until 2004.

As war raged across the jagged Afghan countryside, the staff of the Afghan National Museum spirited it away, piece by piece, to hiding places all over the Kabul region, each time risking their lives. Sworn to silence, it was a secret they kept until the fall of the Taliban - almost thirty years of deadly danger, courage, and fierce honour.

Memorialized in this lavish volume, this treasure introduces us to the beautiful, diverse and little-known culture of ancient Afghanistan, illustrating its key place at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Asia, along the Silk Road - one of the world's great trading routes. The heart of this priceless collection is the Bactrian Hoard - a nomadic king’s treasure with astonishing pieces such as a collapsible nomadic gold crown.

At last the Bactrian gold is back on display - now featuring a modern chapter as breathtaking as the legendary Hoard itself.