Afghan artifacts, Bactrian gold headed to Ottawa

A touring collection of ancient Afghan artifacts, including gold from the famed Bactrian Hoard, will make its sole Canadian stop in Ottawa this fall.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization will present Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures starting in late October, organizers announced on Thursday afternoon.

"This exhibition is the culmination of many years of work by the Afghans. Without their courage and commitment, these objects would not exist today," Fredrik T. Hiebert, exhibit curator and National Geographic Society archaeology fellow, said in a statement.

"I am honoured to be part of the effort to share these treasures with audiences around the world and ultimately to enhance the understanding of Afghanistan's rich cultural heritage."

Objects more than 2,000 years old

Comprising artifacts dating from as far back as the third century BC, the exhibit will showcase more than 200 items — such as jewelry, sculptures and other artworks, weapons, plaques and ceramics as well as gem-encrusted golden ornaments and vessels — from Afghanistan's National Museum in Kabul.

The objects in the collection were first discovered in archaeological sites around northern Afghanistan, a region that was considered a central stop on the fabled Silk Road. Wealthy nomads who died while travelling on the famed route were often buried with their treasures.

With their country facing chaos and fighting in the late 1970s, a group of Afghans decided to secure and hide these valuable artifacts. They remained hidden through the reign of the Taliban and resurfaced, unexpectedly, in a Kabul bank vault in 2003.

Hiebert is among the international experts who has worked since 2003 to verify, catalog and preserve the more than 2,000-year-old artifacts.

Soon after Afghan President Hamid Karzai revealed the re-discovery of the collection in August 2003, museums and cultural groups around the globe began vying for the opportunity to create and host a touring exhibition.

The long anticipated show, Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures, is an effort by The National Geographic Society and the Washington-based U.S. National Gallery of Art, in conjunction with Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and San Francisco's Asian Art Museum.

The exhibit will be featured in Ottawa from Oct. 23 to March 28, 2010, following stops in Paris, Turin, Amsterdam, Washington, Houston, New York and San Francisco.