HERITAGE OF THE HINDU KUSH: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN NURISTAN, AFGHANISTAN

AbstractAs the last part of Afghanistan to be converted to Islam (in 1896), Nuristan retains a distinct material and intangible cultural heritage. However, for nearly forty years, Nuristan has been virtually inaccessible to researchers of cultural heritage due to protracted insecurity in the province. With the Taliban in control of the country once more, conflict has largely ceased, enabling access to many hitherto inaccessible parts of the country, including Nuristan. There is now a window of opportunity to conduct much-needed work on the state of cultural assets across the province. The authors conducted two separate field visits between May and July 2022 to undertake a preliminary assessment of Nuristan’s intangible and intangible cultural heritage and to conduct a feasibility study for future mapping and conservation efforts. This paper presents initial findings from the fieldwork and highlights the urgent need for investing in cultural protection work in Nuristan. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 G. Robertson, The Kafirs of the Hindu-Kush, London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896. Robertson was by no means to the first European to travel to Nuristan in modern times. Scotsman Alexander Gardener allegedly made the trip in 1826, and William McNair undertook an expedition there in 1883.2 M. Klimburg, ‘A Former Kafir Tells His “Tragic Story”: Notes on the Kati Kafirs of Northern Bashgal (Afghanistan)’. East and West Vol. 58. Issue 1/4 (2008): 391–402.3 See the works of Georg Morgenstierne who travelled in the region in 1929, as well as the reports of the Haslund-Christensen’s Third Danish Central Asian Expedition (1947—1949) and the Haslund-Christensen Memorial Expedition of 1953-54. There is also the account from 1935 of the German Hindu Kush Expedition: Deutsche Im Hindukusch: Bericht der Deutschen Hindukusch-Expedition 1935 der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft. More famously, Wilfred Thesiger made two brief visits to Nuristan in 1956 and 1965.4 T. Alvad, ‘The Kafir Harp’. Man Vol. 54 (1954): 151–154.5 N. Dupree, An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. Tokyo, Japan: Afghan Tourist Organization. Jagra Ltd, 1977, p. 233.6 Among the most prodigious contributors to Nuristani scholarship is Max Klimburg, whose work in the Waigal Valley remains seminal. See M. Klimburg, The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush: Art and Society of the Waigal and Ashkun Kafirs. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart, 1999. Richard Strand’s web resource found at https://nuristan.info/ provides a rich repository of research and data on Nuristan. Shuyler Jones’ work is also notable, see S. Jones, and K. Campbell, Men of Influence in Nuristan: A Study of Social Control and Dispute Settlement in Waigal Valley, Afghanistan. Seminar Press, 1974; and S. Jones, An Annotated Bibliography of Nuristan (Kafiristan) and the Kalash Kafirs of Chitral. Copenhagen, 1966; and L. Edelberg, and S. Jones, Nuristan. Akademische Druck-u Verlagsanstalt Graz/Austria, 1979. Karl Jettmar’s excellent The Religions of the Hindukush Vol. 1 The Religion of the Kafirs is important reading.7 M. Klimburg, ‘The Arts and Societies of the Kafirs of the Hindu Kush.’ Asian Affairs vol. XXXV. Issue III (2004).8 R. Shapour, ‘Donors' Dilemma: How to Provide Aid to a Country Whose Government You do not Recognise'. Afghanistan Analysts Network, July 5, 2022. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/international-engagement/donors-dilemma-how-to-provide-aid-to-a-country-whose-government-you-do-not-recognise/ (accessed 11 September 2023); ‘UK Aid to Afghanistan Since the Taliban Takeover'. Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), May 18, 2023. https://icai.independent.gov.uk/uk-aid-to-afghanistan-since-the-taliban-takeover/ (accessed 11 September 2023).9 Interviewed by the authors before, during and after the fieldwork was conducted.10 A. Rai, ‘Taliban Set Fire to Dozens of Musical Instruments They Claim will Cause ‘Destruction of Society'’. Independent.co.uk, July 31, 2023. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/taliban-music-ban-instruments-fire-b2384908.html (accessed 11 September 2023).11 D. Mitra, ‘How Afghanistan's National Museum Survived the First Week of the Taliban's Return to Kabul'. thewire.in, August 22, 2021. https://thewire.in/south-asia/afghanistans-national-museum-kabul (accessed 11 September 2023); G. Bowley, T. Mashberg and A.P. Kambhampaty, ‘Taliban Vows to Protect Afghan Cultural Heritage, but Fears Persist’. New York Times, August 20, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/arts/taliban-afghan-cultural-heritage.html (accessed 11 September 2023).12 S. Geranpayeh, ‘Taliban Government Approves Conservation Work on Historic Synagogue in Afghanistan’. The Art Newspaper, October 26, 2022. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/10/26/taliban-government-approve-conservation-work-on-historic-synagogue-in-afghanistan (accessed 11 September 2023).13 TOLOnews, ‘Women's Handicraft Exhibition Organized in Kabul’. The Frontier Post, February 2023. https://thefrontierpost.com/womens-handicraftexhibition-organized-in-kabul/ (accessed 11 September 2023).14 ‘The Taliban Embrace Cultural Heritage’. The Economist, July 11, 2023. https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/07/11/the-taliban-embrace-cultural-heritage (accessed 11 September 2023).15 In 2023 the authors’ company, Aleph Strategies, was commissioned to undertake a feasibility assessment of cultural programming in Afghanistan, during which process we interviewed 45 heritage conservators, de-facto authority officials, artists and NGOs working in Afghanistan.16 As a general principle, we try to avoid accompaniment by armed guards during fieldwork, as this can create difficulties with local communities and draw unwanted attention.17 M. Klimburg, The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush: Arts and Society of the Waigul and Ashkun Kafirs, Volume 1 (1999), pp. 56-57, and M. Klimburg, ‘The Arts and Societies of the Kafirs of the Hindu Kush’. Asian Affairs Vol. XXXV. Issue III (2004): 336.18 M. Klimburg, ‘The Arts and Culture of Parun, Kafiristan's “Sacred Valley”’. Arts Asiatiques Vol. 57 (2002): 53.19 M. Klimburg, ‘The Arts and Societies of the Kafirs of the Hindu Kush’. Asian Affairs Vol. XXXV. Issue 11.20 We use the term Kafir to distinguish from modern, Islamic Nuristani heritage.21 N.J. Allen, ‘Some Gods of Pre-Islamic Nuristan'. Revue de l'histoire Des Religions Vol. 208. Issue 2 (1991): 141–168.22 The Ṛevedic Religious System and its Central Asian and Hindukush Antecedents. A. Griffiths & J.E.M. Houben (Eds.), ‘The Vedas: Texts, Language and Ritual.’ Groningen: Forsten 2004: 581–636.23 G. Robertson, The Kafirs of the Hindu Kush. London: Lawrence & Bullen Ltd, 1896, p. 393.24 B.A. Kazimee, ‘Representation of Vernacular Architecture and Lessons for Sustainable and Culturally Responsive Environment.’ Int. J. of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics Vol. 4. Issue 4 (2009): 337–350, 338, and M. Klimburg, ‘The Arts and Societies of the Kafirs of the Hindu Kush’. Asian Affairs Vol. XXXV. Issue 11 (2004): 369.25 Turquoise Mountain Foundation, Nuristani Woodcarving: Pattern Book, 2018, p. 10.26 J. Kalter, The Arts and Crafts of the Swat Valley: Living Traditions in the Hindu Kush. Thames and Hudson, 1991.27 For detailed descriptions, typology and terminology, of carving motifs in Waigal, see M. Klimburg, Kafirs of the Hindu Kush: Art and Sority of the Waigal and Ashkun Kafirs, Volume 1, 1999.Additional informationNotes on contributorsJonathan RiderJonathan Rider is a Director and Co-founder of Aleph Strategies, a research firm focussing on cultural heritage in conflict-affected countries. Prior to Aleph, Jonathan worked for the Aga Khan Foundation and UNESCO in Afghanistan. Jonathan holds degrees in archaeology from the universities of Nottingham and Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the ICOMOS UK Cultural Tourism Committee. Email: j.rider@alephstrategies.orgBastien VaroutsikosDr Bastien Varoutsikos is Director for Strategic Development at the ALIPH Foundation, the international alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas. Previously he was Deputy Director of Turquoise Mountain, managing projects documenting and protecting cultural heritage in Afghanistan and Jordan. As Director of Development at Iconem, he oversaw scientific and preservation projects using remote sensing technology in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. He received his PhD in anthropology from Harvard University in May 2015. Email: b.varoutsikos@gmail.com