NEWS //

Unfathomable Destruction of Ancient Treasures to Begin on Christmas Day

by Steph Spencer

In a move that is beyond comprehension and has most of the world scratching their proverbial heads, Mes Mynak — an archaelogical goldmine in Afghanistan that dates back thousands of years — is scheduled to be destroyed beginning on December 25th to make way for an open-pit copper mine.

It seems that in its desperation for economic stimulus, the government of Afghanistan neglected to mention to the Chinese firm that successfully bid for the mining rights to the area that the site contained one of the world’s oldest Buddhist monasteries, as well as a Bronze Age settlement that archaeologists have scarcely had an opportunity to examine. Oops-a-daisy!

Archaeologists and historians have been locked in a breakneck race against time for months, but it appears that time is running out to unlock Mes Mynak’s secrets.

A small shrine at Mes Aynak ©Jerome Starkey

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About the Author

Stephanie Spencer is a freelance travel writer from Canada who has been held captive by the travel industry for over 13 years. An incurable smart aleck, notorious purple fanatic, hat person, and ukulele player of questionable abilities, Stephanie explores the geeky side of travel on her blog A Nerd At Large, and dispenses random quirkiness as @ANerdAtLarge on Twitter. She truly believes that anything is possible with enough determination and copious amounts of chocolate.