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| The few major libraries are located in Kabul.
However, most of the materials in the Kabul University Library (founded in
1931) were dispersed during the war; the National Archives has also been
looted and its collections removed. The Kabul National Museum (1922), the
largest in the country, is best known for its collection of early Buddhist
relics. Some of the more valuable of these were reported to have been
removed to the USSR during the years of the Soviet occupation; their
present location is unknown. Ancient gold coins and jewelry were reported
to have been taken as well. In 1993 the National Museum was blown open by
rockets and subsequently looted by soldiers. Some 90 percent of the
enormously rich collection was taken out through Pakistan and sold to
wealthy collectors in other countries. The trade in Afghan antiquities has
been reported to be one of the largest producers of illicit revenues after
illegal drugs. |
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