The Ancient Riches of a Poor Land -- DAVID LITTLEJOHN, WSJ

The 228 items in "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures From the National Museum, Kabul" will be on display in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco through Jan. 25, 2009. These long-buried treasures come not only from Tillya Tepe but also three other archaeological sites, all in the north of present-day Afghanistan, part of an area known by the ancient Persians and Greeks as Bactria.

This exhibition opened in Paris on Dec. 5, 2006, and has also been seen in Turin, Italy; Amsterdam; and Washington. After closing in San Francisco, it will move on to Houston and New York. By the time the show closes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 20, 2009, the treasures of the Afghan National Museum will have been away from their home for almost three years. But already there is talk of prolonging the tour for another year or two. Kabul is still regarded as too insecure for the public display of such a priceless collection, however important it may be to the self-esteem of this long-ravaged land, historically rich but now desperately poor.
The Ancient Riches of a Poor Land

Photos: Hidden Treasures of Ancient Afghanistan