Treasure-Hunting in Afghanistan

Afghanistan, Archaeology
Photograph for TIME by Adam Ferguson

Not Quite Secure
A view of the covered Haji Piyada, the ruin of a mosque believed to be the earliest Islamic building in Afghanistan. During more than two decades of war the country's historical sites have been largely ignored, but not by all. The ancient heritage has fallen victim to an epidemic of pillaging on par with the depredations of Genghis Khan's army that in 1220 left the city of Balkh in ruins.

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