World's Major 3 Treasure Hunts

2. Bactria gold treasure, Afghanistan

In 1978, a group led by a Soviet archaeologist stumbled upon burial mounds in northern Afghanistan containing golden artifacts that were traced to Bactria, a nomadic civilization which surrendered to the armies of Alexander the Great. But as the country slid into war, the treasure originally kept at Kabul’s National Museum was shifted to a vault in the presidential palace and controlled by a central bank official, Ameruddin Askarzai.

He took it upon himself to protect the Bactrian Gold in coming decades, purposely breaking the lock of the vault and lying about its content to prevent Taliban officials from looting it. The treasure was rediscovered in 2004 when Mr. Askarzai, with the help of a locksmith, opened the vault to a group of international scholars and officials from the new Afghan government. The hoard, which has traveled extensively, is based in Kabul’s National Museum.

3. Treasure of Nimrud, Iraq

In 1988 an Iraqi archeologist unearthed golden jewelry, ornaments and other precious Assyrian artifacts. These things were exhibited at Baghdad’s National Museum for just a few months before Iraq attacked Kuwait and the treasure had to be stashed away in a secret location. After that, no one knew much about the treasure.

Many people feared it had been looted, sold or blown up in missile strikes. It wasn’t until June 2003 that a delegation of museum staff and U.S. officials found the treasure, intact, in five waterlogged wooden crates in a basement of a bombed out building of the central bank. The Assyrian treasure is set to tour the world for five years before returning to Iraq, where it will be placed on permanent display in Baghdad’s Iraq Museum.

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