Visit a new exhibition in Kabul and see a selection of some 2,000 Afghan artifacts which were illegally smuggled out of the country during three decades of conflict and civil war, treasures altogether weighing 3.5 tons. No less remarkable than the craftsmanship on display at the National Museum of Afghanistan, is the story of the antiquities' return after customs officials stopped smugglers trying to take the looted goods through British airports three years ago.

Half belong to the pre-Islamic period before the seventh century. "Each piece is priceless."

About 70 percent of the museum's 100,000-piece collection was looted by mujahideen fighters in the 1990s. Exhibits were also damaged by rocket fire or the Taliban, on a rampage to destroy "un-Islamic" artifacts. (Continue reading AFP story from Drexel University)

National Museum of Afghanistan, head of a Buddha