Interview Eight
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Esfandiari, Aziz
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of Afghanistan Oral Histories
unitdate: label: Date
content: March 22, 2024
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: FSA.A2024.03, File 8
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: This session focuses on the Taliban's policies and ideological beliefs that affected the National Museum of Afghanistan and archaeological artifacts. The political landscape under the Taliban was incredibly challenging for museums. Mr. Masoudi discusses the development of the Association for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Afghanistan (APHCHA), formed by Afghan refugees in Pakistan as well as the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage (SPACH) which also worked closely with cultural institutions in Kabul, playing a crucial role. By 2000, a campaign emerged to destroy cultural artifacts depicting women. Paintings and artifacts depicting humans and animals were destroyed. Mr. Masoudi discusses preventative measures staff took in the National Museum of Afghanistan and across cultural institutions.