In the summer of 2003, Afghanistan announced the discovery of several museum boxes in the presidential bank vault in Kabul. Inside these boxes were priceless artifacts rescued after being hidden 14 years earlier by National Museum workers during the chaos of civil war.
Get the Full Story ►"Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures From the National Museum" arrives in the United States in May 2008 for a 15-month stay, beginning at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Check the schedule for future dates and an exhibition location near you.
See the Schedule ►This exhibition is organized by the National Geographic Society and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in association with the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. This exhibition is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
The Afghan Children's Fund helps build schools for children in Afghanistan.
Learn More ►An interactive timeline of the hidden treasures from the National Gallery of Art.
Learn More ►Read about the life of the young Afghan refugee with the haunting eyes.
Get Her Story ►You may be surprised by these latest scenes in Afghanistan.
See Photos ►Ancient trade routes gave Afghanistan its ethnic and cultural diversity.
Learn More ►The Songbook Project produces CDs of Afghan children's songs and lyrics in four languages.
Donate Now ►Amid war, an American journalist and her translator forge a friendship.
Read More ►A global debate is raging over who owns history's ancient artifacts.
See the Videos ►Afghan oil-based cave paintings predate Europe's by a hundred years.
Read More ►Afghanistan map and accompanying multilingual activities.
Download Now ►Buy the companion book.
See the stories of heroism and bravery that saved ancient treasures in war-torn Afghanistan.
Follow a harrowing journey into war-torn Afghanistan and the lives of its people struggling against the Taliban.
This dual-sided map shows the borders, history, landscape, and peoples of Afghanistan.