The
old citadel known as Ghaznain Fort originally had 36 towers, but
14 of the towers had collapsed in recent years due to decades of
war, heavy rain and neglect.
The fort is one of dozens of unique historic sites in
Afghanistan - ranging from the pre-Islamic Buddhist center in
the Bamyan valley to the 12th century minaret of Jam in a remote
area of Ghor province - in urgent need of protection.
Officials in Ghazni, which nearly fell to the Taliban last year
in some of the heaviest fighting seen in the war, said the tower
collapsed on Tuesday following heavy rain. A short video posted
on social media shows it crumbling but local residents say
negligence also contributed to its collapse.
"The government paid no attention to the sites and didn't build
canals to divert flood water," said Ghulam Sakhi, who lives near
the citadel.
"We have warned the government about the dire condition of the
citadel but no one visited," Sakhi said.
Mahbubullah Rahmani, acting director of culture and information
in Ghazni, said heavy rain and recent fighting had contributed
to the tower's collapse but said the government was working on a
plan to protect the site from complete destruction.
He said a German archaeologist had worked at the site as
recently as 2013.
Ghazni, a strategically vital center on the main highway between
Kabul and southern Afghanistan and two hour drive from the
capital, is home to a range of cultural and archeological
artifacts, some of which date back to pre-Islamic period.
The province and its cultural heritage was officially declared
as Asian Capital of Islamic Culture in 2013 by the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a
Morocco-based body created in 1981, supported by UNESCO.
The collapse of the tower in Ghazni follows concern over the
condition of the 900-year-old Minaret of Jam, in Ghor, which has
been on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Properties in Danger
since 2002.
The Taliban during their austere regime from 1996-2001, before
they were toppled by the U.S. and coalition force in late 2001,
blew up two giant Buddha statues in central Bamiyan province,
calling them idols.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi in KABUL and Jalil Ahmad
Rezayee in HERAT; Writing by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Michael
Perry)
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