SUPPORT TO INSTITUTIONS

For over a decade SPACH has supported the following institutions:   

Ministry of Information and Culture: advice to Ministry's officials on cultural heritage matters in Kabul and throughout the provinces; liaison between Ministry's officials and important cultural organizations and individuals both inside Afghanistan and abroad; assistance in raising awareness on cultural heritage.

National Museum of Afghanistan: assistance in retrieving looted museum objects during the civil war; successive inventories of the remaining collections; integrated training for the museum staff involved in the inventory of the collections (digital photography, computer training, English training, inventory process, management advise, etc.); securing commitment of donors to complete the physical works of the museum building.

Department of Historical Monuments: surveys of endangered monuments and sites; support to the Tile Workshop in Herat in order to help preserve this ancient art-form; emergency protection works on major historical monuments and archaeological sites during the civil war (Masjid Noh-Gumbad, Musalla Complex, Minaret of Jam, Tepe Sardar and the Mausoleum of Abdurrazaq); encouraging Afghan professionals to remain active in the field of historical monuments preservation by commissioning studies on significant monuments and sites.

Institute of Archaeology: information sharing concerning illegal excavation and smuggling networks operating throughout the region; assistance in transferring and safeguarding objects of archaeological significance from the provinces to the National Museum.

Academy of Sciences: International Centre for Kushan Studies: liaising between Afghan scholars and scholars abroad; encouraging scholars to remain active in their research fields during difficult times by commissioning research papers and articles and enabling access to SPACH's facilities.

Faculty of Social Sciences-Departments of History and Archaeology: liaising between Afghan scholars and foreign research institutions; organizing lectures for students and teachers given by foreign professors on cultural heritage topics; donations of books in Dari and Pashto to the Departments of History and Archaeology; provision of I. T. training for their library database; and free access to SPACH facilities in Kabul including: library, computer and multimedia equipment.