The National Endowment for the Humanities invites applications for projects that focus on Afghanistan's history and culture. The special initiative is designed to promote research, education, and public programs about Afghanistan and to encourage United States institutions to assist Afghanistan in efforts to preserve and document its cultural resources.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is situated at the intersection of four cultural areas--the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Far East-and along the ancient trade route known as the "Silk Road." From the earliest evidence of human occupation in Stone Age caves in the northern regions, Afghanistan's cultural treasures reflect the vitality and diversity of Afghan culture. Those artifacts include sixth-century B.C.E Achaemenid artifacts from Bactrian sites in northern Afghanistan; objects related to the campaigns of Alexander the Great in northern and southern Afghanistan; the Bactrian hoard from nomadic burials at Tillya Tepe; stone and ceramic sculpture, murals, and other artifacts from the third through the seventh centuries found at Bamiyan, site of the two standing Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban; and Buddhist stone bas relief, murals, and unique stucco figures at Hadda, an important Buddhist monastic and pilgrimage center during the second through the sixth centuries C.E.

Beginning in the eighth century with the rise of the Turkish Saffarid and Ghaznavid dynasties, Islam spread through Afghanistan. Saffarid and Ghaznavid artifacts from significant Muslim Arab sites illustrate a further blending of cultures. Afghan cities such as Herat and Balkh became centers of scholarly and literary activity, drawing such figures as the 10th-century Arabic-language author, al-Hamadhani. Afghanistan's literary tradition similarly reflects the diversity of its cultural and linguistic heritage, as exemplified by such figures as the 13th-century Dari poet, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi; the 17th-century Pashto poet, Khushhal Khan Khatak; and the Dari poet, Khalilullah Khalili, former Poet Laureate of Afghanistan (1907-1987).

Today Afghanistan is looking to the future as well as the past. The last several years have produced extraordinary progress on political, economic, and physical reconstruction and a renewal of cultural and scholarly activities. Museums and archives now display art, artifacts, and other cultural resources that were protected throughout the years of Taliban control by brave individuals who risked their own lives to save them from destruction. Traditional arts, crafts, music, and dance have seen a revival of interest. New opportunities are emerging for Afghan scholars and institutions to collaborate with their counterparts in the United States and other countries, and for scholars, students, and institutions in the United States to rediscover Afghanistan.

NEH has long provided support for projects on the history and culture of Afghanistan, including research conducted by American scholars, scholarly translation, preservation and access projects, and educational projects for teachers on the history and culture of Afghanistan. For example, NEH supported the research that led to the creation of an online catalogue of the ivory and bone carvings that were excavated by French archaeologists at Begram, the cataloging of collections from the Kabul museum, and the creation of a digital library of books and periodicals published in Afghanistan from 1871 to 1930. Since “Rediscovering Afghanistan” was launched in 2005, a number of additional projects have been supported, including the digital reformatting of 2,600 hours of Radio Afghanistan analog music tapes created from 1960 to 1980, an accelerated archaeological conservation training program conducted in the United States for four conservators from Afghanistan, and a traveling exhibition, “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.”

Proposals for the initiative may take the form of projects to preserve and provide access to documents and artifacts; education and training for Afghan archivists, librarians, and museum professionals; new scholarship; scholarly translations; archaeology projects; educational projects in US schools, colleges, and universities for every level, K-16; and public programs conducted by US libraries, museums and historical societies, including exhibitions, film, radio, and Internet-based programs. On-site work in Afghanistan is contingent upon security; applicants should consult the updated travel advisories and warnings issued by the State Department through American Citizens Services at 202-647-5225 or 202-647-3000 (fax).

Submitting a Proposal

Applications must be submitted to one of the Endowment's existing grant programs at its regular deadline. Proposals will be evaluated through NEH's established review process and will not receive special consideration. Applicants are urged to discuss their project with a program officer or send a preliminary proposal by mail or e-mail. All guidelines contain information about how to contact a program officer.

Recent Awards

• Rediscovering Afghanistan Awards, 2008,
• Rediscovering Afghanistan Awards, 2007, and
• Rediscovering Afghanistan Awards, 2006,