Mes Aynak

Mes Aynak (Pashto/Persian: مس عينک, meaning "little source of copper"), also transliterated as Mis Ainak or Mis-e-Ainak, was a major Buddhist settlement 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, located in a barren region of Logar Province. The site is also the location of Afghanistan's largest known copper deposit. The site of Mes Aynak possesses a vast 40 ha (100 acres) complex of Buddhist monasteries, homes, over 400 Buddha statues, stupas and market areas. The site contains artifacts from the Bronze Age, and some of the artifacts recovered have been dated to over 3,000 years old. The wealth of Mes Aynak's historical residents may still be seen in the remote site's far-reaching size and well-guarded perimeter. Archaeologists are only beginning to find remnants of an older 5,000-year-old Bronze Age site beneath the Buddhist level, including an ancient copper smelter. The eagerness of Afghanistan's current Taliban government to unearth the copper beneath the site is leading to the site's destruction, rather than its preservation. Archaeologists have photographed the site and relics have been excavated.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).