In the line of fire

摘要

The rocket attack began around 10 pm, after the western sky behind the rugged mountains of Afghanistan's Logar province had faded to black. In the remote camp, a 90-minute drive south-east of Kabul, explosions and gunfire startled archaeologists out of their beds. The Taliban attack, in May 2013, was an attempt to overrun the heavily guarded compound that is home to one of Central Asia's largest Buddhist ruins, an international team of archaeologists - and a group of Chinese miners. It failed, but resistance came at a cost. "Five soldiers died defending us," recalls Roberta Marziani, an Italian researcher. Excavating ancient sites is typically dirty and backbreaking work. But at Mes Aynak, 2500 metres up in the Hindu Kush mountains, archaeologists must also cope with the threat of violence and stray landmines planted long ago by Soviet forces. The site was once a key stop on the ancient Silk Road connecting Europe, India and China (see map, page 32). It was occupied for at least a millennium by monks, artisans, traders and soldiers. They left behind a dazzling array of stupas, walled monasteries, workshops and homes filled with thousands of Buddhist statues, paintings, manuscripts, coins and gem-encrusted jewellery.