Researchers at America’s University of Chicago say that dozens of archaeological sites in Afghanistan have been destroyed through ‘systematic looting’.

Researchers say that the first concrete evidence of the looting trend was found through the analysis of satellite photos. According to him, these incidents of looting started during the time of previous governments, which are continuing even after the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

The sites that were demolished include old settlements dating back to the Late Bronze and Iron Age, i.e. around 1,000 BC. Most of the sites demolished are in the Balkh region of northern Afghanistan. Two thousand years ago this place was considered the ‘heart place’ of the Bactrian civilization.

It was the richest and most densely populated area of ​​ancient Afghanistan during the reign of the Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century.