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.