Agreement signed to safeguard
Bamiyan's archaeological site
Bakhtar News Agency
August 13, 2008
The Afghan government and UNESCO have signed an
agreement on implementation of the third phase of the
project for the safeguarding of the Bamiyan site.
Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Mohammad
Zia Afshar and Director of UNESCOs Kabul Office
Shigeru Aoyagi inked the agreement this last week, the
UN agency said.
The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains
of the Bamiyan Valley, nominated on the World Heritage
List in 2003 (one of two World Heritage Sites in
Afghanistan) is currently on the List of World
Heritage in Danger.
With a grant from the government of Japan to
continue with another phase of the project, UNESCO and
the Ministry of Information and Culture will aim to
address the serious issues that still threaten the
site.
The two sides will ensure substantial improvement
in preservation of the site through the consolidation
of the Buddha niches and the conservation of the
Buddha fragments, the conservation of priority mural
paintings in the caves and overall site security.
The site can be removed from the List of World
Heritage in Danger after the conclusion of the project
in 2011. The project will also provide training to
experts from the ministry in the related fields of
expertise for the long-term sustainable management and
preservation of the site. |
