The French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (french: La Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan (DAFA)) was created in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1922 at the request of the

Afghan government The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is a theocracy and an emirate with political powe ...

and King Amanullah Khan to commence archaeological studies in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. After a break in research during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, work resumed around 1946-47, until it was closed by the pro-Soviet Afghan government on December 15, 1982. Some notable 20th century French archaeologists who were part of the delegation include Jules Barthoux,

Daniel Schlumberger Daniel Théodore Schlumberger (19 December 1904 – 21 October 1972) was a French archaeologist and Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Strasbourg and later Princeton University. Biography After having been invited by ...

, and Paul Bernard. In 2002, in agreement with the Afghan authorities, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

decided to reopen and restart the activities of DAFA in Afghanistan. DAFA's new mission is first of all to develop knowledge of Afghanistan's past, in the framework of French-Afghan archaeological operations. These operations consist of the continuation of the inventory of archaeological remains (prospecting, surveys, etc. ), as well as the conduct of archaeological excavations within the framework of well-defined scientific programs or rescue requirements, which are essentially related to the intensive looting of sites. Philippe Marquis is the current director of the delegation. The archaeological discoveries and finds have contributed to the artifacts located in the

National Museum of Afghanistan The National Museum of Afghanistan (Dari: موزیم ملی افغانستان, ''Mūzīyam-e mellī-ye Afghānestān''; ps, د افغانستان ملی موزیم, ''Də Afghānistān Millī Mūzīyəm''), also known as the Kabul Museum, is a ...

. They have a base in

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

. DAFA belongs to the network of 27 French research institutes abroad of the

Archaeological Works

* 1923-1925: Works in

Bactra ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...

* 1924: Excavations of Païtava (

Begram Bagram (; Pashto/ fa, بگرام) is a town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir V ...

) * 1925: Excavations of Begram ( Jules Barthoux mission) * 1926: Survey in

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, southwe ...

and first works in Hadda * 1927-1928: Excavations of Hadda (Barthoux) * 1929: Works in

Bamyan Bamyan or Bamyan Valley (); ( prs, بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan or Bamian is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 70,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an alti ...

* 1933: Excavations of Tepe Marandjan (

Kabul Province Kabul (Persian: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul city, which is also Afghanistan's capital and largest city. The population of the Kabul Province is ...

) * 1934: Excavations of Khair Khane * 1936: Works in

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan (N ...

* 1936-1937: Excavations of

Bagram Bagram (; Pashto/ fa, بگرام) is a town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir Va ...

* 1937: Excavations of Fondukistan (

Parwan Province Parwan (Dari: ), also spelled Parvan, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 751,000. The province is multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province is divided into ten districts. The town of Imam Abu Hanif ...

) * 1937: Shotarak excavations in Sistan and Balochistan Province. * 1947: Works in

(by

) * 1949-1951: Excavations of

Lashkari Bazar Lashkari Bazar ( fa, لشگری بازار "Military market", locally known as fa, کھنه قلعه ''Qala-e-Kohna'' "Old castle") was a palatial residence of rulers of the Ghaznavid Empire, located in Lashkargah in Afghanistan. The original nam ...

(by Schlumberger) * 1951-1959: Excavation of the prehistoric site of

Mundigak Mundigak ( ps, منډیګک) is an archaeological site in Kandahar province in Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at ...

* 1952-1961: Excavations of Surkh Kotal (by Schlumberger) * 1957: Discovery of the site of the

Minaret of Jam The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Afghanistan. It is located in a remote and nearly inaccessible region of the Shahrak District, Ghor Province, next to the Hari River. The or high minaret was built around 1190 entire ...

* 1957: Work in the Foladi Valley * ?-1963: Excavations of Kohna Masdjid * 1963-1965: Excavations of the monastery of Gul Dara * 1963: Excavations of Shakh Tepe * 1964: Surveys at

Ai-Khanoum Ai-Khanoum (, meaning ''Lady Moon''; uz, Oyxonim) is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The city, whose original name is unknown, was probably founded by an early ruler of the Seleucid Empire and s ...

* 1965-1978: Excavations of the site of Ai-Khanoum (by Paul Bernard) * 1974-1976: Surveys of the plain of Ai-Khanoum * 1976-1978; Surveys of Upper Tokharestan * 1976-1978: Excavations of Shortughai * 2004-2007: Excavations of Bactra (Balkh) * 2005: Excavations of Al-Ghata * 2005-2007: Franco-German works at

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...

* 2005-2007: Works on the mosque of

Haji Piyada Haji Piyada Mosque or Noh Gonbad Mosque ('' fa, مسجد نُه‌گنبد'' "Mosque of Nine Cupolas"), a Samanid-style building in Balkh province of northern Afghanistan. Built in the 9th century, it is thought to be the earliest Islamic buildin ...

. * 2010-2014: Excavations in

Mes Aynak Mes Aynak (Pashto/ Persian: , meaning "little source of copper"), also called Mis Ainak or Mis-e-Ainak, was a major Buddhist settlement southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, located in a barren region of Logar Province. The site is also the location ...

* 2014-2017: Work in

Directors

The following list is of the directors of the French archaeological delegation. * 1922 - 1945:

Alfred Foucher Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher (1865–1952), was a French scholar, who argued that the Buddha image has Greek origins. He has been called the "father of Gandhara studies", and is a much-cited scholar on ancient Buddhism in northwest Indian subcont ...

* 1934 - 1941:

Joseph Hackin Joseph Hackin (8 November 1886, Boevange-sur-Attert – 24 February 1941) was a French archaeologist and Resistance member. He was a curator at the Musée Guimet and explored Afghanistan in 1923 with Alfred Foucher and Andre Godard. Biography B ...

* 1941 - 1942: Roman Girshman * 1946 - 1964:

* 1965 - 1980: Paul Bernard * 1980 - 1982:

Jean-Claude Gardin Jean-Claude Gardin (3 April 1925 - 8 April 2013) was a French archaeologist who is recognized as being one of the founders of archaeological computing. Gardin worked with the organizations UNESCO and the European Atomic Energy Community in the 195 ...

* 2002 - 2006: Roland Besenval * 2006 - 2014: Philippe Marquis * 2014 - 2018: Julio Bendezu-Sarmiento * 2018–present: Philippe Marquis

Sources and external links

''The opening of the DAFA in Afghanistan (1922-1982) by P. Bernard at the site of l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres.''

The DAFA on the website of ''Musée Guimet (Paris, France)''.

Official website of DAFA

References

{{Authority control Archaeology of Afghanistan French archaeologists Afghanistan–France relations

Archaeological Works

Directors

Sources and external links

References

See also