With the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, the country's archaeological remains face a bleak future, even if the extremist group decides not to plunder or deliberately destroy it.
Reports suggest the Taliban are already hunting for one of the country's most notorious hideouts, dubbed the "Treasure of Bactria".
Quoted from Live Science, the Treasure of Bactria is a collection of more than 20,000 artifacts. Many of them are made of gold, which was found in 2,000-year-old graves at a site called Tillya Tepe in 1978.
The treasure is housed in the National Museum of Afghanistan and is on display at the presidential palace. But reports suggest his location is currently unknown.
Historic sites in danger of being destroyed
Other archaeological remains threatened by the Taliban include Mes Aynak, a Buddhist town that flourished about 1,600 years ago. The city is located along the iconic Silk Road and was used for trade and worship. Many ancient Buddhist monasteries and other ancient Buddhist artifacts are buried there.
When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, they destroyed many of these Buddhist artifacts, including two large sixth-century statues known as the "Bamiyan Buddha" carved into the cliffs there. Extremist groups used rockets, tank-fired projectiles and dynamite to topple the towering statues.
The future of Mes Aynak looks very bleak as a source who declined to be named said all equipment used for excavation and conservation at the site had been lost. The Taliban are also known to visit the site for unclear purposes.
"The situation of the cultural heritage doesn't seem good, because currently no one is taking care of the sites and monuments," said Khair Muhammad Khairzada, an archaeologist who led the excavations at Mes Aynak.
"All archaeological sites in Afghanistan are at risk. There is no monitoring, no maintenance, all departments in all provinces are closed, no funds and other facilities are needed to maintain them," he continued.
Khairzada herself was recently forced to flee to France for fear of the threat she could face under Taliban rule.
He also said all the equipment they used for excavation and conservation at Mes Aynak was missing. China held mining rights in the nearby area and even before the Taliban took over, archaeologists feared that part of the site would be destroyed if it was turned into a mine.
After the Taliban took control of Kabul, they announced that they would seek economic support from China. But it is not clear whether China intends to build mines in the area or not.
Julio Bendezu-Sarmiento, Director of the French Archaeological Delegation for Afghanistan, said he had learned that the Taliban had visited Mes Aynak but was unsure why.
"It is difficult to guess what the immediate purpose of their visit was," said Bendezu-Sarmiento. He added that there were previously plans to hold an exhibition of artifacts from Mes Aynak and other Afghan sites in France in 2022. Unfortunately, the Taliban captured Kabul before the artifacts could be transported.
So far, there have been no reports of the Taliban intentionally destroying artifacts. The Taliban leadership has issued a statement saying that it will protect the archaeological site. However, whether the Taliban will actually keep their promises is unpredictable.