Emeralds of Afghanistan -- Max Becherer

“The lapis lazuli mines of Badakhshan have more than 5,000 years of history. It was used in Egypt’s pyramids,” said Engineer Abdul Wasy, the general director of the Afghan Geological Survey (AGS) which oversees geological scientific research in Afghanistan.

“The mine of Aynak’s copper has more than 2,000 years of history, from the coins and the tools that we found there. The gold of Zarkashan has more than 2,000 years of history in Ghazni Province,” added Mr. Wasy. “Emerald is the second most expensive thing after diamond. It is the source of finding money.”
Emeralds of Afghanistan - Baghdad Bureau Blog - NYTimes.com

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Precious stones of Afghanistan
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