Fredrik Hiebert
Source: Rebecca Hale
© National Geographic
Join exhibition curator Fredrik Hiebert to hear the amazing story of Afghanistan’s hidden treasures
In 1988, a group of men and women quietly and carefully wrapped up the magnificent treasures on display at Kabul Afghanistan’s National Museum. More than 700 objects were placed into crates and hidden away. War was about to engulf Afghanistan and these local museum curators were saving Afghanistan’s great Silk Road heritage.
Little did any of them know that these crates would stay hidden for more than twenty years – during which time the museum lost its roof and windows and the world cried for the lost treasures.
It was only in 2003 that the secret was revealed, and an inventory of what had survived begun. This is the story of those brave men and women who saved these treasures, the process of their rediscovery, and the fascinating Silk Road history that these treasures tell.
Archaeologist and National Geographic Fellow Fred Hiebert has traced ancient trade routes overland and across the seas for more than 20 years. His excavations span the globe, from ancient Silk Road sites across Asia to underwater archaeology projects in the Black Sea and South America. Fred participated in the opening and inventory of the hidden museum treasures of the Kabul Museum, Afghanistan from 2004-2006, and is curator of the exhibition, Hidden Treasures.
Proudly supported by University of Melbourne, University Partner for the Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures exhibition.
