8 Subh, Kabul: An Iranian news agency claims that Afghanistan’s golden cargo, similar to the Tilla Tapa artifacts from the Bactrian era has been seen in an Iranian antique market in Mazandaran.
About two months ago, a 12-kilogram cargo of golden antiquities from Afghanistan, similar to that of Tilla Tapa, from which the great treasure of Bactrians was obtained, arrived from the country, the “Sadayee Miras” news agency reported on Wednesday, September 15. The shipment has reportedly been seen in the city of Mazandaran.
The news outlet states that the items include two gold bracelets decorated with animal figures with a dragon head and “turquoise”, a gold necklace with a dragon pattern and turquoise, a belt with a dragon pattern and eight earrings decorated with turquoise stones and pendants made of gold and golden buttons.
The Sadayee Miras, which analyses cultural heritage and Archaeology, claims that historical objects consisting of about two kilograms and 170 grams of gold artifacts were purchased for five billion Tomans by a famous buyer of historical monuments in an underground antique market in Iran. According to these claims, 600 million Tomans have been given in this transaction to an intermediary.
About three months ago, Mohammad Qasem Vafaeizada, the former Minister of Information and Culture in the Afghan government, announced an increase in illegal excavations in Afghanistan’s Tilla Tapa and other historic sites. According to the Iranian news outlet, illegal excavations are still ongoing and the Taliban have so far been unable to stop them.
The news agency also noted that smugglers of historical artifacts in Iran were trying to take the ancient artifacts to London for sale, but buyers rejected them. According to the agency, the smugglers are now trying to sell parts of this ancient consignment to Chinese customers.
Meanwhile, the news agency added that the cargo imported from Afghanistan to Sari in Iran through the borders of Khorasan and the city of Mashhad. The Sadyee Miras was reportedly informed that the smugglers of historical objects cannot sell the items in the well-known market of Manouchehri in Tehran. Therefore, they have smuggled these artifacts to Mazandaran to sell as Iranian artifacts in the city of Sari. Experts in the market for smuggling historical objects, however, have told the news agency that these works are very similar to the historical objects of Tilla Tapa in Afghanistan and the great treasure of the Bactrians.
