Hidden treasures from a lost city
By Michael Petrou - Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 0 Comments
Hundred of artifacts saved by Afghan museum staff in 1978 are now on display in Ottawa
In northeastern Afghanistan, where the snowmelt waters of the Kokcha River flow into the silty grey expanse of the Amu Darya River, a flat-topped hill rises above the valley below. Its eastern slope is gentle and can be easily climbed, while its western side ends in a cliff on which one can stand and, on clear days, see the snow-capped Hindu Kush rise above the distant horizon. One of Alexander the Great’s generals built a city here in the fourth century B.C., complete with a theatre, gymnasium and palace. The culture that flourished in the city showed its Greek roots, but also the influence of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Indian subcontinent. The city, likely named Alexandria on the Oxus, was a hub, where people and ideas from around the world intermingled. Less than 200 years after it was founded, nomads from the Central Asian steppe invaded. Alexandria on the Oxus was lost to history for 2,000 years.
It was rediscovered in 1961 when a local peasant showed a stone fragment to Afghan King Zahir Shah, who was hunting in the area. The king recognized the artifact’s importance and summoned a French archaeologist, who began an excavation. Then the Soviets invaded. Their occupation was followed by years of civil war. Alexandria on the Oxus, now known by its Uzbek name, Ai Khanum, or Lady Moon, was destroyed once again. Continue…
