From US with love: Stolen Buddhas return to Afghanistan

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<strong>Afghans in the United States were in for a pleasant surprise earlier this week when local authorities recovered as many as 33 "awe-inspiring" stolen antiquities, valued at approximately $1.8 million, and returned them to the Afghanistan embassy in the US.</strong></p>
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The repatriated items include a 3rd century schist statue depicting a Bodhisattva meditating under the tree. Others were equally stunning, including a stucco head of a bearded man dating circa 3rd-4th century. Similarly, a bronze mask of Silenus circa 2nd century and a bronze standing Buddha dating back to the 3rd-4th century, were equally breathtaking in their beauty and elegance. </p>
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The rich haul, rooted in Afghanistan's composite civilizational past, was the result of herculean efforts that were mounted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit and the US Homeland Security's Investigations (HSI) since last August. Between them, the two have repatriated 338 antiquities to seven countries, including one to Lebanon, 45 to Pakistan, one to Egypt, 245 to India and recently, three pieces to Nepal and a pair of statutes to Sri Lanka.<br />
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India Narrative had <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/how-fbi-and-a-twitter-thread-helped-nepal-get-back-its-stolen-statue-after-years-72597.html"><strong>reported </strong></a>last month about a stone stele of Lakshmi-Narayan, stolen from Kathmandu 37 years ago, being returned to the Ambassador of Nepal in Washington by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).</p>
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<img alt="Buddha Statue Afghanistan" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/afghanistan_buddha_statue.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /></p>
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<img alt="Afghanistan buddha statue " src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/afghan_buddha_1.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /></p>
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On Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. announced the return of 33 antiquities to the people of Afghanistan during a repatriation ceremony attended by Afghan Ambassador to the United States, Roya Rahmani and the senior officials of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.<br />
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"I am honoured to return this trove of awe-inspiring artifacts exemplifying Afghanistan’s proud cultural heritage and humanity’s enduring quest for spiritual awakening. Over the past decade, my office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit and our partners at Homeland Security Investigations have collaborated to recover more than 2,500 relics valued at $143 million from the illicit collection of Subhash Kapoor – including the remarkable items that, in recent weeks, we have repatriated to Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan," said Vance.<br />
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Prolonged armed conflict has resulted in massive destruction of Afghanistan's cultural heritage in the last few decades. The Bamiyan Buddhas were dynamited in March 2001, and in the following months, most of the debris together with the remains of original sculpture, was taken away to be sold. In addition, the small statues in the collections of the Kabul Museum were smashed, including many stored for security reasons in the Ministry of Information and Culture.<br />
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In April 2004, the Afghan Interior Ministry formed a special police force to protect the country's historical sites, with 84 officers deployed to protect important sites in the Logar and Kapisa provinces near Kabul. However, the looting and destruction of schist sculptures continues unabated.<br />
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Over the past decade, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and the Homeland Security Investigations have collaborated to recover more than 2,500 relics valued at $143 million from the illicit collection of Subhash Kapoor, labelled as one of the most prolific commodities smugglers in the world.<br />
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The US authorities have for many years been investigating Kapoor and his co-conspirators for the illegal looting, exportation, and sale of ancient art from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, and other nations. They allege that Kapoor and his co-defendants generally smuggled looted antiquities into Manhattan and sold the pieces through his Madison Avenue-based gallery, Art of the Past.<br />
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The D.A.’s Office first issued an arrest warrant for Kapoor in 2012. In July 2019, a complaint and series of arrest warrants for Kapoor and seven co-defendants were filed and an indictment was compiled in October 2019. In July 2020, the DA’s Office filed extradition paperwork for Kapoor, who is currently in prison in India , pending the completion of his ongoing trial in Tamil Nadu.<br />
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The crimes of culture involving looted and stolen religious relics, such as the nearly two dozen Buddhist statues being repatriated to Afghanistan, not only tear at the societal fabric of nations but also deprive millions of believers worldwide of the earliest sacred symbols of their faith.</p>
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"The preservation of Afghanistan's heritage and history is paving the path for civilization and society to grow," said Afghan Ambassador Rahmani. "These recovered works are irreplaceable pieces of Afghanistan’s diverse culture and rich history. It is my greatest honour to help facilitate their return home," she added.<br />
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The US authorities have revealed that many hundreds more of such priceless artifacts are waiting to be returned to their rightful owners and repatriated to their places of origin as soon as the relevant countries are able to receive them amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. More than a thousand are also held awaiting criminal proceedings against the traffickers.<br />
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"Artifacts of historical or cultural significance allow the public to experience a nation's heritage and these items shouldn't be offered as souvenirs for sale to the highest bidder," said Peter Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York.<br />
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The items already returned include a pair of statues of Buddha to Sri Lanka; an Egyptian limestone stele dating back to 664 B.C.E, 45 antiquities dating back to the 2nd Century to Pakistan; a gold coffin stolen from Egypt in the aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011; three marble Lebanese statues; a Roman mosaic excavated from the Ships of Nemi; an Etruscan relic stolen from the site of a historic necropolis known as the 'City of the Dead'; a marble sarcophagus fragment; a Buddhist sculpture stolen from an archaeological dig site; a pair of 12th century Indian statues; a collection of 8th Century B.C.E. bronze statues; and a set of ancient Greek coins, among others.<br />
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The Afghan Embassy in Washington DC said the recovered artefacts will be sent back to the country soon and put in the disposal of the National Museum of Afghanistan.</p>
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<strong>ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/how-fbi-and-a-twitter-thread-helped-nepal-get-back-its-stolen-statue-after-years-72597.html"><span style="font-size:24px;">How FBI and a Twitter thread helped Nepal get back its stolen statue after 37 years</span></a></strong></p>
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<strong><span style="font-size:24px;"><img alt="FBI" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/fbi_antique.jpg" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" /></span></strong></p>