According to a leading senior Afghan field archeologist and specialist, who personally took part in the archeological excavations on the Mes Aynak copper-mining site, discussions among the Afghan authorities, archeologists and the Chinese mining company MCC made big progress.
Mes Aynak, meaning “little mine,” 35 km south of Kabul, is the world’s second-largest copper reserve. While China and other BRICS countries need copper for industrial development, the mine could generate a substantial income which Afghanistan urgently requires to rebuild the country.
In 2008, an initial contract was signed between the Afghan government and the Chinese state company MCC. However, after security incidents, the project was stalled.
Also at that time, archeologists working on the site unearthed an area of 40 ha of exceptional world-class cultural value, mainly a vast complex of Buddhist monasteries with stupas (temples), murals, sculptures and hundreds of archeological artifacts, and more.
