Louise Jury

Lost Afghan treasures looted from Kabul are to go on display in a new exhibition thanks to an unknown benefactor.

The mystery donor identified the fragments of intricately carved ivory as being among important exhibits stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan between 1992 and 1994.

The benefactor brought them to the British Museum for inspection and conservation with the aim that the pieces will be restored eventually to the Kabul Museum, currently under-going reconstruction.

The rediscovery was announced today when the valuable ivories became last-minute additions to the British Museum's show of archae-ological discoveries from ancient Afghanistan.

Curator St John Simpson said that the 20 fragile fragments were received in its conservation department only last summer.

Even with funding from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, it had been a rush against the clock to get them ready for the show.

"We and the Afghans were just delighted that they turned up and would be coming back to Kabul. "We don't know exactly where they have been or what routes they have travelled," he said.

They join the exhibition of more than 200 objects demonstrating Afghanistan's important role as a trading hub for many cultures in its region.

All were feared lost after the 1979 Soviet invasion, but it emerged that quick-thinking
officials had hidden them from the traumas of the Soviet and subsequent Taliban eras. "What this exhibition shows is there's a lot more to the geography of Afghanistan than Helmand," Dr Simpson said.

"The culture was rich and benefited from its location in creating a cosmopolitan, wealthy, multicultural site of societies and kingdoms, a melting pot of cultures.

But this is the first, and probably the last, time these objects will have been seen in the UK."
All the objects were found between 1937 and 1978, but date back centuries.

They include finds at the Hellenistic Greek city of Al Khanum, near today's Tajikistan border, gold jewellery from nomadic graves and Roman glass made in Egypt. "They provide an exceptional glimpse into the wealth and disposable income of Afghanistan," Dr Simpson said.

Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World, opens on Thursday and runs until July 3, admission £10.