KUALA LUMPUR, 16 June – The embassy of Qatar in Malaysia was handed over today an artefact belonging to the National Museum of Afghanistan by the ambassador of Afghanistan to Malaysia Moheb Rahman Spinghar, as it was received by the ambassador of Qatar to Malaysia Fahad bin Mohammad Kafoud.
Qatar will sponsor the shipment of the artefact via Qatar Airways to the Afghan capital, Kabul.
According to a statement from the embassy of Qatar, this initiative comes as a continuation of Qatar’s efforts at the international level to protect the human heritage, as part of the country’s leadership in the field of safeguarding human heritage, and as a member of the World Heritage Committee for the period 2021-2025 of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
“His Excellency Dr. Moheb Rahman Spinghar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Malaysia, expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Malaysia for providing logistical assistance in transporting the artefact to the National Museum of Afghanistan, praising the positive role played by the State of Qatar in bringing peace and stability to his country,” it added.
The two embassies expressed their gratitude for the cooperation of the Malaysian authorities and their approval to return the piece to the Afghan Museum.
This artefact dates back to the 12th Century, it is a Dado Marble Panel that once lined the court of the Royal Palace of the Ghazni ruler, Mas’ud III (b. 1061 – d. 1115 AD). Decorating the residence of the Ghaznavid monarch, this marble dado displays a narrow band of floriated Kufic inscription on top of a complex slab of interlaced arabesques and knotted designs. It is one of the earliest examples of the use of writing in Arabic letters for epigraphic purposes depicted in architecture (inspired by the Persian language) and it belongs to the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul. The artefact was located in the Museum of Islamic Arts in Malaysia, and the said museum had bought the antique from an English seller.
Source: ASWAQ
