Conservation of Stupa of Shewaki

The stupa at Shewaki, located 11 kilometers north of Kabul, dates from the 3rd to 5th centuries CE and was a stop on a religious route that Buddhist pilgrims took from the Indian lowlands to Bamiyan in Afghanistan. The site had been partially damaged during conflict and required stabilization. In the project, the restoration works included documenting and stabilizing the stupa complex and installing a drainage system and paving stones to protect the site from seasonal flash floods. In addition, during the archaeological works, the remains of several secondary stupas, architectural fragments, and ceramics were unearthed, documented, and stabilized. During this three-year project, young Afghan archaeology professionals were given on the-job-training and more than 100 workers from surrounding villages were employed.