Qatar Embassy in Malaysia receives Afghan artifact to be delivered to Kabul Museum

 KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- The Embassy of Qatar in Malaysia has received an artifact belonging to the National Museum of Afghanistan, which will be transported by the Arab country to the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The artifact, a marble tablet that goes back to the 12th century and was used to adorn the residence of King Mahmud of Ghazni and the royal court of King Mas'ud III of Ghazni (1061-1115), was handed to Qatar's ambassador to Malaysia Fahad bin Mohammed Kafood by Afghanistan's ambassador to Malaysia Dr. Moheb Rahman Spinghar in preparation for its delivery to Kabul, via Doha, reported Qatar News Agency.

The reason Qatar is taking the responsibility of bringing the artifact back to Kabul comes from the Arab country’s efforts and leadership internationally in protecting and maintaining World Heritage worldwide, given that the country is a member of the World Heritage Committee part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the period of 2021-2025.

The marble tablet displays a narrow band of floral kufic inscriptions on top of an intricate panel of interlaced arabesques and intricate designs.

The piece is one of the earliest examples of the use of Arabic script for pictorial writing purposes in architecture (inspired by the Persian language).

Furthermore, the artifact belongs to the National Museum of Afghanistan but was in the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia after buying it from an English dealer.

-- BERNAMA