Khost museum artifacts at risk

KHOST CITY (PAN): Officials said on Thursday artifacts at a museum in southeastern Khost province ran the risk of being damaged due to the lack of a proper building.

To preserve the items, hundreds of them had been shifted to a small room of the museum, but still several objects were in danger, Habib Mohammad Mandozai, the museum director, told Pajhwok Afghan News in an exclusive interview.  

Currently more than 3, 000, 00 different kinds of the antiquities had unprofessionally kept been at an improper room at the information and cultural department, he said.

The treasures were thousands years old, with some dating back to the period of Yama King, who lived 5000 years ago, the director said. “The museum contains a huge animal skeleton and a tooth weighing five kilograms found by an archeological team at a hillside on the outskirts of Khost City.”

Mandozai warned if a proper building for preserving the unique pieces was not built at the earliest, they would lose the treasures. He urged the Ministry of Information and Cultural and donor agencies to take measures in this regard.

The director also complained about a lack of security arrangements for the museum, saying the relics could be easily stolen. “A large number of people visit the museum on a daily basis and they ask about the history of the relics,” he said.

Bakhtullah, a resident of Ali Sher district, said many interesting things were available at the museum. He said due to a lack of space, the artifacts had been piled up on each other, a move that could damage the treasures.

He called on the government and donor organisations to facilitate the museum with an appropriate building.

Mohammad Amin Shah, the information and culture department head, confirmed the problem, saying they had taken up the issue with the ministry concerned, hoping the museum would soon have a modern building.

mrh/ma

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