NATIONAL HERAT MUSEUM

Founded in 1925 under King Amanullah, the museum has long been closed to the public. He was relocated in 1994 by Ishmael Khan, governor of Hérât, who installed it in the citadel where he is today. The collection includes over 3 000 objects, especially from Greek and timurid periods. Under the Taliban, much of the antiquities disappeared. Anything that did not belong to Islamic culture was destroyed. So many statues and painted miniatures of the famous school in Herat have been broken and hundreds of stolen coins are stolen. In 2001, the remaining objects were deposited at the National Museum and the exhibition reopened in 2003. Most of the exhibits exhibited stem from archaeological discoveries in general in the province of Hérât, but also in other regions such as Tashkurgan and Badghis. In total, almost 500 pieces (oldest 1 200 years old). So we can see 140 manuscripts and ancient books dated from the th century to the present. From the prehistoric period, we will find copper columns, crockery, and copper mug dating from the Third millennium, when the camel civilization is thriving in northern Afghanistan. From the Islamic period, some objects, but the first Islamic empires (tahirides, saffârides and samanides) did not leave many remains. Unlike the Ghaznavides and the Ghôrides (power in the late th century), under which the arts were flourishing. This period is represented by a multitude of objects: crockery, potiches, vases, mosaics, etc. Finally, many antiquities from the timurid period and a large collection of rifles and pistols from Anglo-Afghan wars. Pottery, Chinese objects, metals, weapons, currencies reflect recent years in Afghanistan.