Bactrian Gold Treasure of Afghanistan

After its tour through Europe, the Bactrian (Afghanistan) Gold Treasure is continuing it's tour around the globe with a 1.5 year stay in the USA. The US opening will take place in Washington DC late May. After Washington DC, the exhibit will also stop in San Francisco, Dallas and end its US tour in New York.

Visit our Gemstone and Jewelry Library of Rare Books:

There is a wealth of information about Afghanistan in our gemstone library. Herodotus wrote about the occurrence of gold (and how it was mined by ants). Afghanistan was (and is) the premier resource of Lapis Lazuli . Read what role Afghanistan played in the history of the Koh-i-Noor. Spinels (previously called Balas Ruby) were found in Badakshan, Afghanistan.

Some amazing travel logues:

For more recent stories on Afghan gemstones in combination with amazing photography of the gems, the land and its people you will find extensive reports after the jumps: Gary Bowersox (who runs his own mining company in gems) and Vincent Pardieu (gemologist at the established Gubelin laboratory and travelling gemologist) and who paid a visit to the Spinel mines of Afghanistan in 2006.

What can you expect in our online exhibit ?

Read in our online Afghanistan gold exhibit how the director of the National Museum in Kabul and his colleagues kept the whereabouts of the Bactrian Gold Treasure from Afghanistan hidden in a safe place for 15 years. You can listen and view him tell this story in his own words, how they risked their lives in doing so.

Go step by step through the different rooms of the Afghanistan gold exhibit and learn about the Bactrian and other cultures, or which gemstones were used, or learn to understand their art. Our exhibit will be a work in progress, and we will add more and more information, images, audio and video over time, when it's relevant, and when more knowledge becomes available.

Bracelets with horned lionheads. Bactria, Afghanistan, Tillya-Tepe, Grave IV, 1st century AD, Gold, Turquoise, l. 18.5 cm. Copyright National Museum of Afghanistan, Guimet Museum Paris

Applique Aphrodite of Bactria, Afghanistan, Tillya-tepe, 1st century AD, Gold, Turquoise, 5,0 x 2,6 cm, Copyright National Museum of Afghanistan and Guimet Museum Paris, France