The British Museum has a handful of ancient materials from Afghanistan starting from 190 – 180 BC. The items give great insight into Afghani history and identity and every year Afghans from around the world travel to London to visit the Museum. Before Afghanistan converted to Islam in the 7th century, the country had a strong Buddhist tradition, and this is reflected in the museum’s collections.
The items include coins, medals, bowls, ewers, paintings and other objects such as statues and gold reliquaries and amulets. These objects are spread throughout the museum; depending to what era they belonged to.
 |  | This Bronze reliquary and Kushan coins from a Buddhist relic deposit, which is dated to late 2nd century AD and was uncovered by Charles Masson in 1836. |
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The medals and coins are mainly in Gallery 68 (in the Money and medals’ department). Many of the objects here were found in “stupas”. Stupas are Buddhist monuments traditionally containing relics of the Buddha.
Amongst the later coins (Kabul shahies) are dinars dated AD 610/ AD 1204. These dinars, which were developed in India (1193 – 1206) by Muhammad bin Sam, the ruler of Ghurids, (a tribe who lived in the mountains of Ghur) are found in the Ghazna region of Afghanistan. The coins were designed with a central inscription enclosed by a square frame, a style that travelled from the Almohad dynasty in North Africa. Indeed, Almohad dinars influenced the design of coinage in many Islamic regions. Hence the coins show the movement of different religious influences across the country.
This bronze vase was found in one of the stupas in Wardak (South East of Afghanistan). The inscription on the vase claims that it contained a relic of the Buddha. The script is important in the sense that it shows the “evidence in reconstructing the chronology of the Kushan kings”, and it is dated year 51 of the Kushan king Kanishka I. | |  |
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In Gallery 33 (China, South and South-east Asian) you will also find many items belonging to Afghanistan.
One object that caught my eye was a ‘gold amulet containing relic’, which was found at Ahin Posh stupa in Jalalabad, 2nd century AD. This amulet had two coins and some relics inside.
According to the museum: “The cult of relic worship was very important in early Buddhism. In fact, the large stupas were often constructed to house relics, which were regarded as the surviving presence of the Buddha or his monks after their physical passing from the world. This amulet would have been valued for exuding divine energy and was probably worn as a protective talisman by a pious Buddhist.”
 | | An amulet. Courtesy of the British Museum. |
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This sort of amulet is still used in some regions of Afghanistan, especially on newborn children to keep them away from the evil eye. It is also sometimes worn as a talisman by adults.
This photo shows a Turkamen boys tunic from Afghanistan, now showing in the gallery of Living and Dying. | |  |
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The Islamic galleries (Room 34) contain a scattering of Afghan objects including 800 year-old tins and ewers, whilst the Living and Dying exhibition in Room 24 includes twentieth century objects including a Turkmen boy’s tunic.
Apart from what is in the galleries, each department has its own study collections. Here items can only be accessed and viewed by making an appointment with the specific department (the items are not in public galleries). For more information you can visit: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk or call 020 7636 7384.
Explore Afghan objects on the British Museum's Compass website.
