Gold Treasures Are Buried under Presidential Palace in Kabul

British The Times reported on Nov. 6 that 20 thousands of gold relics from 2100 years ago, called `Victorian Treasury` are stored in the underground vault of the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The newspaper also delivered that the experts are expecting the UN will save the treasures before the U.S. air strikes destroy them or the Taliban melt them down.

The treasures such as golden crown decorated with pearls, golden statue, necklace, broach, accessories, hair pin, belt, Turkish jade, were discovered from the royal tombs in the northern Afghanistan by the Archaeologists of Russia in 1978.

Right after the discovery, the communist regime of Afghanistan put them in 7 treasure boxes and stored them in the natural vault made in the rock under the Presidential Palace. The vault was closed by 7 iron gates and sealed by concrete.

The keys for the 7 iron gates were kept by 7 different people, including a former President, and three of them have deceased by now.

A cultural asset expert of UNESCO said, ``we are worrying whether the Taliban reaches to the treasures. They have tried to dig through the concrete but failed.`` But Professor Victor Sarianidi who had participated in the excavation expressed his worries that the treasures might have been handed over to the hands of Japanese, British, or American collectors.

phark@donga.com