101. Asian And African Languages Research in the languages, literatures and cultures of East Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, afghanistan, Central Asia, Pakistan, and India, as well as the history of the IndoEuropean and Semitic languages. http://www.afro.uu.se/eng.html

Introduction Aktuellt (in Swedish) Undergraduate studies Research Doctorate program Staff (in Swedish) (in Swedish) Department of Asian and African Languages At the Department of Asian and African Languages old traditions of education and research in Oriental languages at Uppsala University are treasured. As one of the first chairs in the University, for example, the professorship of Semitic Languages dates back to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Many other Oriental languages have also been taught for centuries but a remarkable renewal of the aims and methods of their study has taken place, especially during the last few decades. Department of Asian and African languages Visitor's address: Postal address: Box 527 S-751 20 Uppsala Telephone: Office: +46 18 471 10 90 Director of department: +46 18 471 14 86 Director of studies: +46 18 471 73 79 Telefax: +46 18 471 10 94 E-mail: info@afro.uu.se

102. Afghanistan Dossier: A Cultural Crossroads All these movements of peoples, goods and ideas made afghanistan a cultural treasuretrove,and various sites were listed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/afghanistan/html/culture001025.html

Bahasa Indonesia Nederlands English Español Português Human Rights Home Chapters: Afghanistan: A Cultural Crossroads By Eric Beauchemin, 26 October 2000 "If the culture of a nation dies, its soul dies with it. It's not just enough to eat and clothe yourself. You have to have some sense of identity." Nancy Dupree A Cultural Crossroads Afghanistan has always been a crossroads for the cultures of the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian plateau, the Central Asian steppes and China. During the Bronze age, Afghanistan was one of the trade centres. Later, the Silk Route passed through Afghanistan. Caravans from China, Rome and India arrived in the northern Afghan city of Balkh. All these movements of peoples, goods and ideas made Afghanistan a cultural treasure-trove, and various sites were listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. By the 1960s, Kabul Museum had built up the most opulent collection in all of Central Asia. The exhibits and storerooms contained a unique collection of artefacts covering 100,000 years of civilisation, all of them coming from Afghanistan itself. During the years of mayhem that preceded the Taliban's capture of the capital in 1996, 80% of the treasures in the Kabul Museum were looted. Security The museum is located in the southern suburbs of the capital. Little remains in that part of Kabul, except kilometres upon kilometres of rubble. Each time another group gained control, they posted guards to protect the museum. "When there wasn't any fighting or anything to do and the guards got bored," says

103. Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage afghanistan s Cultural Heritage. afghanistan has a rich and long cultural heritage. Itwas under the Timurids that afghanistan reached its cultural zenitth. http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~rc391/betty/Afghanpage1i.html

CULTURE Afghan Art and Music THE WEB INFORMER The Web Informer Web Informer home Are Londoners immune to terror? Afghan culture whatever.... Cassara's story... You will need the Real Audio player to listen to the media clips on the Web Informer site. Download it now, for free Internal news sites: OUTTHERE NEWS Megastories External UK news sites: BBC news The Times The Guardian The Daily Telegraph External US news sites: CNN The Washington Post The New York Times Afghan news sites: Afghan News Network Sevices Afghan News Network Afghan Daily Your comments: What are your comments on the issues raised in this story? We would like to hear your view. Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage Afghanistan has a rich and long cultural heritage. Its location on the the old Silk Route between China and the Middle East means it's cultural life has been subject to many influences. It has the (dubious) honour of being been occupied by many great civilizations including Greek, Persian and Indian. This melting pot has produced a number of ethnic groups. Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and Turkmens form the majority, whilst Baluch, Turkmen, Aimaq, Nuristani, Pamiri, Pashai, Kirghiz and Kazakh all call Afghanistan their home. The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism began here around 600 BC century (one of the world's first monotheistic religions), Buddhism spread and remained strong until the 10th century AD and Islam arrived in the 7th century AD.

104. Afghanistan's Rich Cultural Heritage In Ruins Ehsanullah Mamundzai of the SPACH (Society for the Preservation of afghanistan sCultural Heritage) says that during the 1980s, the cultural heritage of http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/DB06Ag01.html

February 6, 2002 atimes.com Central Asia/Russia Afghanistan's rich cultural heritage in ruins By Nadeem Iqbal ISLAMABAD - Many outsiders probably see only rubble and desolation in Afghanistan, the last known lair of fugitive Osama bin Laden. But archeologists and other experts say the war-devastated country has much to offer in terms of because of its unique past and role in world history. Indeed, that is why the reconstruction and preservation of Afghan heritage is the focus of "International Year of Cultural Heritage - 2002", launched by Koichiro Matsuura, director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last month here in Islamabad. Afghanistan, after all, was once fought over by the some of the greatest names in the history of mankind, among them Alexander the Great. The northwestern city of Herat was made the capital of the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane in the late 14th century, and subsequently became a center of Persian art and learning. UNESCO's Pakistan representative, Ingeborg Breines, said that although it is hard to include culture in the Afghan reconstruction efforts at this stage, the UN agency is still working to integrate the restoration and preservation of the cultural heritage into the country's policies and plans. "The immediate priority is the formation of a cultural policy by the Afghan government, revival of Kabul museum and the reconstruction of Islamic cultural heritage in Herat city," she said. "As in [other] post-conflict countries, it is extremely important that the people in the new rebuilding operation be rallied at something that could give them national identity - and that they care not only for the Islamic but also pre-Islamic culture."

105. Dari Language, member of the Iranian branch of the IndoIranian family of languages; it is,along with Pashto, one of the two official languages of afghanistan. http://www.sabawoon.com/afghanpedia/Language.Dari.shtm

HOME NEWS EDITORIALS ARTICLES ... LETTERS JOURNALS AFGHANPEDIA eLIBRARY ART GALLERY FEEDBACK Dari language, member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian family of languages; it is, along with Pashto, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan dialect of Farsi (Persian). It is written in a modified Arabic alphabet, and it has many Arabic and Persian loanwords. The syntax of Dari does not differ greatly from Farsi, but the stress accent is less prominent in Dari than in Farsi. To mark attribution, Dari uses the suffix -ra . The vowel system of Dari differs from that of Farsi, and Dari also has additional consonants. About one-third of the population of Afghanistan, i.e. , about 5,000,000 people (Tadzhik, Uzbak, Turkman, Hazarah, Some Pashtoon), speak Dari. It is the primary language of the Tadzhik, Hazara, and Chahar Aimak peoples. Dari, rather than Pashto, serves as the means of communication between speakers of different languages in Afghanistan. < Back Afghanpedia Table of Content

106. National Geographic: Afghanistan - Educational Resources map of afghanistan, and determine how the cultural differences in afghanistancompare, statistically, to the cultural differences within their classroom. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/landincrisis/education.html

Home Site Index Customer Service Shop MAGAZINES: National Traveler Adventure NG Kids NG Explorer TV AND FILM: Channel (U.S.) Channel (Intl) Explorer GUIDES: Adventure and Animals and History and Maps and News Photography Travel For Kids For Students For Teachers Complete Site Complete Site Index Subscribe Shop To foster a greater understanding of the land and people of Afghanistan, the National Geographic Society is donating our new " Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" map to U.S. schools via the Geography Alliances Online, we're glad to offer free educational activities, lesson plans, and more. Grades K-2: Greeting Friends From Other Places www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/ gk2/friends.html Introduce students to map reading using our ethnic groups map of Afghanistan, and teach them how local children might greet one another. Grades 3-5: Living Through a Drought www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/ g35/drought.html Using our drought-and-vegetation map of Afghanistan, show students how to recognize droughts, where they can occur, and how they affect people. Grades 6-8: What Makes a Group?

107. National Geographic: Afghanistan - Maps, News, Photos, More Help kids understand afghanistan and cultural conflict online activities,teachers guides, lesson plans, and more. National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/landincrisis/

Home Site Index Customer Service Shop MAGAZINES: National Traveler Adventure NG Kids NG Explorer TV AND FILM: Channel (U.S.) Channel (Intl) Explorer GUIDES: Adventure and Animals and History and Maps and News Photography Travel For Kids For Students For Teachers Complete Site Complete Site Index Subscribe Shop Bin Laden Hunt Hurt by U.S. Disrespect of Afghans, Experts Say (March 30, 2004) Behind the Search for the Afghan Girl (March 12, 2002) Afghan War Eyewitness on Warlords, Future, More (February 15, 2002) More News on Afghanistan Background Bibliography: National Geographic Resources on Afghanistan, Terrorist Attacks, More Webcast: Experts on Afghanistan and Mideast Post-September 11, 2001 (October 22, 2001) Interactive Map: Terrain, Troop and Refugee Movements, Ethnic Groups, More Latest Map Updates (March 12, 2002) Troop movements in eastern Afghanistan Refugee Map: Track Humanitarian Efforts Afghanistan's Shadowlands Inside the Afghan War Machine Gallery: Sebastian Junger Inside the Northern Alliance Gallery: Rise of the Taliban Help kids understand Afghanistan and cultural conflict: online activities, teachers' guides, lesson plans, and more

108. Culture Without Context: Issue 11, Afghan Cultural Heritage In Norway For example, UNESCO and the Ministry of Information and culture of Afghanistanorganized in May 2002 an international seminar about the rehabilitation of http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/IARC/cwoc/issue11/afghanscrolls.htm

Issue 11, Autumn 2002 Department of Archaeology, History of Art and Conservation University of Oslo Norway. T he demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in March 2001 caused outcries of disgust around the world, including Scandinavia. Yet, at the same time, collectors and museums continued to drain Afghanistan of its cultural heritage. This article examines a Norwegian case, the first- to seventh-century ad fragments of Buddhist manuscripts from Afghanistan presently owned by the Norwegian businessman Mr Martin Schøyen. As widespread plundering is already a fact and valuable artefacts are in circulation, any line of action must represent a compromise between conflicting considerations. Organizations such as SPACH and the Afghan Museum in Exile have arrived at the conclusion that they must acquire important cultural artefacts themselves to secure their return to Afghanistan. This is, of course, a difficult policy to pursue, as it could stimulate black-market trading and plundering in Afghanistan (and other places). Still, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and UNESCO support this policy. In The Times (June 22, 2002) Colin Renfrew also suggested that the Schøyen manuscripts should be donated to the UNESCO-approved Afghan Museum in Exile. Several examples of repatriation demonstrate that corrupt third world governments place antiquities back on the black-market.

109. Afghanistan's Lost Cultural Heritage November 28th, 2001 (second hour). afghanistan s Lost Cultural Heritage. http://archives.theconnection.org/archive/2001/11/1128b.shtml

Special feature: November 28th, 2001 (second hour) Afghanistan's Lost Cultural Heritage View Dick Gordon's tour through the National Afghanistan Museum Afghanistan is in ruins. Centuries of fighting, some of the worst of which occurred in the last twenty years, have decimated a country once resplendent with the treasures of Buddhist, Greek and Islamic civilizations. Must Afghanistan redefine itself, or can it regain its cultural heritage? Post in our Arts Forum new users click here Their clashes brought barbarism, their beliefs: inspiration. Dueling legacies for a country suddenly on the cusp of stability, at a new crossroads, where hope stares down destruction. But what the bombs haven't destroyed, neglect, ideology and rogue excavations have. Afghanistan's trove, centuries' old Buddhas, precious stores of gold and silver coins, exquisite Indian ivory panels, it's all been reduced to rubble...or loot. Guests: Christian Manhart, Program Specialist in Charge of Asia in the Division of Cultural Heritage of Unesco; Dr. Vishaka Desai, Senior Vice President and Museum Director of the Asia Society; Dr. Hugo Weihe, International Specialist for Indian and South Asian art for Christie’s; and John Eskenazi, owner of the John Eskenazi Gallery in London. Pictures compliments of Christie's Images.

110. HERITAGE @ RISK: AFGHANISTAN The Society for the Protection of afghanistan s Cultural Heritage (SPACH) isespecially committed to the rescue of the sites and cultural property of http://www.international.icomos.org/risk/afgha_2000.htm

H@R! : Heritage at Risk AFGHANISTAN After more than two decades of warfare, Afghanistan is a country today, whose entire cultural heritage is endangered most directly by arbitrary acts of destruction. Its heritage at risk is not only the world-famous Buddhas of Bamiyan, those huge statues (from the 7 th to 8 th century) cut into 60 m and 36 m high cliff-faces, which have been severely damaged by grenade attacks. Such destruction, which must be regarded in the context of fundamentalist "iconoclastic ideology", favours the reckless exploitation of the country’s cultural heritage for the sake of the art market. Not only are archaeological sites being sacked, but also the outstanding collections of the Kabul Museum, hit by a rocket in 1993 during a battle between rival Mujaheddin groups, were pillaged, and the objects finally showed up on the international art market. Besides man-made disasters in Afghanistan, there are also risks of earthquakes, land slides and the occasional flooding of rivers. The minaret at Jam, for example, whose foundation walls are endangered by a nearby river, needs urgent safeguarding. Considering the desperate situation in Afghanistan, UNESCO has tried to react with emergency plans, also involving the International Committee of the Blue Shield. The Society for the Protection of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage (SPACH) is especially committed to the rescue of the sites and cultural property of Afghanistan. SPACH has also published more detailed information in its regular Newsletter (Issue 6, May 2000). The well-informed report on Afghanistan in

111. Cultural Terrorism international outcry caused the Taliban high command to prohibit the Buddhas destruction and promise that the cultural heritage of afghanistan would be http://www.archaeology.org/0105/newsbriefs/afghan.html

Your browser does not support javascript Cultural Terrorism Volume 54 Number 3, May/June 2001 by Kristin M. Romey "The real God is only Allah, and all other false gods should be removed." This statement from the one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar sent a chill through the international community following an edict issued by Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime announcing that all pre-Islamic statues in the country were to be destroyed. That edict, and the resulting destruction, has been universally condemned as "cultural terrorism." Among the targeted relics were the Bamiyan Buddhas, two enormous 1,500-year-old statues hewn out of a cliff in the valley of Bamiyan, 140 miles northwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul, that were once one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Destruction of the Buddhas was said to be completed by March 12. A Taliban guard has also reported that the second-century B.C. Buddhist complex in Ghazni was razed two weeks before the edict was issued. Many areas where the destruction is occurring have been sealed off to outsiders, making independent verification impossible at this time. The Taliban seized control of much of Afghanistan in the mid-1990s and has since enforced an extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Women cannot work or attend school and are not allowed out of the house without a spouse or male relative. Music, cinema, and photography of people and animals are among the hundreds of aspects of modern life that are banned.

112. Visiting Arts | Publications | Afghanistan: A Cultural Overview afghanistan A Cultural Overview. Click here for information on afghanistanA Cultural Overview, afghanistan A Cultural Overview. http://www.visitingarts.org.uk/publications/03afghanistan.html

Afghanistan: A Cultural Overview The Profile also contains a comprehensive contacts listing of key arts organisations operating in the following sectors: Cultural agencies (statutory national agencies, provincial and municipal government agencies, non-governmental agencies) Performing arts (venues, groups, support organisations) Visual Arts (support organisations, craft centres, galleries, exhibition halls) Literature Press (agencies, magazines) Publishing (booksellers, distributors, import/export, printers) Information (archives, libraries) Festivals Intergovernmental cultural agencies working in Afghanistan Visiting Arts is currently identifying funds to transfer the profile to a website, but, in order to distribute the information quickly, the profile is avaible in pre-published draft form. If you would like to order your copy of the Profile, please contact Tahnee Wade, Asia Pacific Projects Manager

113. Taliban Regime Sets Out To Obliterate Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage bodies and governments. Taliban regime sets out to obliterate afghanistan scultural heritage. By Sarath Kumara 7 March 2001. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/mar2001/afgh-m07.shtml

Enter email address to receive news about the WSWS Add Remove SEARCH WSWS English German ON THE WSWS Donate to the WSWS Expansion Fund! Editorial Board ... Books Online OTHER LANGUAGES German French Italian Russian ... Indonesian LEAFLETS Download in PDF format HIGHLIGHTS Support the Socialist Equality Party in the 2004 US elections ... Asia Taliban regime sets out to obliterate Afghanistan's cultural heritage By Sarath Kumara 7 March 2001 Use this version to print Send this link by email Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement is proceeding with the wholesale demolition of thousands of statues and artifacts across the country, including two giant Buddha stone statues in the central Bamiyan province, despite widespread international outrage and protests from archeologists, museums, cultural bodies and governments. The Islamic fundamentalists spurned a direct appeal from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) and rejected offers from museums and governments to buy the irreplaceable items to prevent their destruction. It is certainly true that the UN and the major powers have done little to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of Afghanis who have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and water after being hit by serious drought. An estimated 80,000 refugees are crowded into camps around the city of Herat in appalling conditions and a further 150,000 have fled across the border into neighbouring Pakistan. At the end of last year, the UN Security Council at the instigation of the US and Russia imposed tough new economic and diplomatic sanctions on Afghanistan which will compound the poverty facing many Afghanis.

114. Bureau Of Educational And Cultural Affairs – U.S. Department Of State States April 26, 2004 In support of the administration s ongoing commitment to rebuildingAfghanistan, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomed http://exchanges.state.gov/

Assistant Secretary Harrison's Biography Message from the Assistant Secretary CultureConnect Key Initiative: Partnerships for Learning (P4L) ... Beirut Agreement Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Latest News Iraqi Amputees Visit Washington Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Patricia de Stacy Harrison met with a group of Iraqi businessmen at the State Department on Thursday, May 27. The right hands of these seven men were amputated as a form of punishment during Saddam Hussein's regime. The group was in Washington after receiving new prosthetic hands in Houston, Texas earlier in the month. ECA facilitated meetings with Secretary Powell and business leaders from the Washington, D.C. area. The Iraqi businessmen also visited the White House and met with President Bush. View Photos: Iraqi Amputees with President Bush and with Colin Powell Secretary Powell Notes Importance of International Exchanges in Remarks to U.S. Chamber of Commerce

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Page 6     101-114 of 114    Back | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6