Response to Topic #5

The lost Afghan capital from the Middle Ages is often referred to as Turquoise Mountain. Once a magnificent city during its era, Turquoise Mountain was destroyed by the son of Genghis Khan in the 1220s, and the remains of the city lie within the territory of the Ghor Province. Rory Stewart travels through the Ghor Province on his journey, and he discovers the ruined, bankrupt city. He is appalled after realizing that past excavators only found sediments when examining the site and failed to locate any substantial treasures remaining. Stewart meets several townspeople, who relate that they dig at the site and sell any findings in the black market, usually for exceptionally low monetary value, far less than its true historical worth. Stewart realizes that these artifacts have significant historical meaning, and should be placed in a museum rather in illegal antique markets. The townspeople are ignorant of the history of the town and are only focused on gaining profits from the artifacts. Those who reside in the mountains are very poor, and their primary concern is providing themselves with some sort of monetary compensation from their findings. It is understandable that these poor villagers make use of these historical objects in order to purchase daily necessities, essential for survival. Though it is easy to sympathize with these villagers, it seems preposterous that the citizens of the town have no background knowledge or respect for the historical value of the city or the objects which they acquire through personal excavation.