Conservation of Tepe Maranjan & Topdara Afghanistan 2016-20

Prepared and published with the financial support of the US Department of State through the US Embassy, Kabul under project SAF20016-GR-0043

“This publication provides an overview of documentation, excavation and conservation managed by ACHCO between 2016 and 2020 on two Buddhist-era sites, Tepe Maranjan (district 7, Kabul) and Topdara (Parwan province). Part of an ongoing collaboration with the Afghan Institute of Archaeology (AIA) and the Department for the Safeguarding of Historic Monuments of the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, these activities were made possible through financial support provided by the US Department of State, through the US Embassy in Kabul. “

“The project has generated a significant body of documentation, only a small part of which is presented here. The primary objective of the project was the stabilization and conservation of surviving structures and, as a result, the focus here is primarily on the architectural characteristics of these Buddhist-era monuments. Certain objects that were excavated during the project are illustrated, but it is beyond the scope of this publication to draw conclusions about these. It is hoped that information about both the architecture and objects will contribute to the existing scholarship on the Buddhist era in the region; a selective bibliography is provided in an annex.”