Remarks on the Wall Paintings from Mes Aynak

As many other things in today’s Afghanistan, archaeology basically means a struggle against emergencies and lack of resources. This is the case of Mes Aynak, an impressively large site 30 km south east of Kabul, in Logar, currently under excavation in the framework of rescue archaeology. The site, which is the world’s second-largest copper reserve, is soon destined to become a giant open-cast mine. In 2007, a thirty-years lease was granted for the copper mine to the China Metallurgical Group Corporation. Racing against time, the Afghan Institute of Archaeology, with the support of the Délégation Archéologique Française, launched in 2009 a rescue excavation. Except for some short summaries, the results of the excavations are still largely unpublished. The very preliminary study I present here is based on the few notes I could take on the occasion of two quick visits to the site. Nevertheless, it clearly shows as Mes Aynak is a key-site for a better understanding of the cultural history of pre-Islamic Afghanistan and related regions, with particular reference to the social and political role of Buddhism.