The Bamiyan Buddhas, according to UNESCO, were the world cultural heritage of Afghanistan.

Those two historical sites, which speak volumes about Kabul’s tragic history, lie next to each other — The Darul-Aman Palace, reduced to ruins during the civil war, and the the National Museum. Inside the museum, you can find relics of Afghanistan’s history. Among other things lies the country’s first and last locomotive, which was designed by German engineers. A few steps further, you can see the cars of former monarchs. Most of the cars are from the 1920s and belonged to King Amanullah Khan, who built both the palace and the National Museum. Inside, the museum staff is welcoming visitors. Many of them have been working there for a long time. Noor Agha, a staffer for almost 20 years, had seen the museum being destroyed during the civil war (in the early 1990s) and restored years later.

“It was particularly bad at the time of the civil war. We were evacuated and the museum was used as a military base. Much has been destroyed. It was plundered. At that time, many treasures were lost,” said Mr. Agha. Most treasures that disappeared at the time originated mainly from the Kushan era, early Buddhism and the early Islamic period.

Many of these unique items continue to be illegally traded in the black market. The museum is trying to regain those. “We are working with Interpol, the UN and other organisations, and we have done everything we can to rediscover these items. They are an important part of our culture and belong only to the Afghan people,” said Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, the museum’s director. “In recent years, interest in Afghan history has increased, especially on the part of our own youth,” he added.

Art cleansing

The museum staff had a tough time during the Taliban period as well. On the orders of the extremists, many things which did not correspond to their radical ideas had to be destroyed. Sculptures representing human beings —mainly Buddha statues — were the primary “victims” of this art cleansing. The result can still be seen. Most Buddha statues in the museum are headless.

The visitors are guided by a few museum leaders, such as Mr. Agha, who has the gift of telling stories seamlessly. Apart from sharing the exact historical background of each exhibit with the visitors, he also takes them back in time to the spread of Buddha’s teachings at the Hindukush, or Mahmud of Ghazni’s march to build his Islamic empire.

“What these men have done has nothing to do with Islam,” he said, standing before the headless statues of Buddha. The museum also contains some of the finds from Bamiyan, home of the legendary giant Buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. They are small pieces of art that have escaped the fanatics’ fury. “What happened to the big brothers of them, the whole world knows,” said Mr. Agha. The Bamiyan Buddhas, according to UNESCO, were the world cultural heritage of Afghanistan.

Many Buddhas have also landed in the black market. A few of them are owned by private collectors who want to keep them for themselves. It is an open secret that among these collectors are some powerful Afghan politicians. In such cases, the return of the valuables seems to be difficult. In the past, it was repeatedly criticised that the authorities were not putting the necessary pressure on such individuals to return these treasures. Mr. Rahimi, the museum director, hesitates to go into this. “We’re doing our best,” he said.

“King Amanullah would probably be turning in his grave,” said Mr. Agha. “If he knew about the current situation of his country, he would probably burst into tears.”

Emran Feroz is a freelance journalist based in Stuttgart and was recently in Kabul