Over the summer, fears swirled that open-pit mining was about to begin at the Afghan archaeological site of Mes Aynak (“little copper pit”), bringing destruction to the surprisingly well-preserved site. But last July, a ceremony presided over by Hedayatullah Badri, the Taliban government ’s interim minister of mines and oil, revealed a more reassuring plan: the start of underground mining, which, if all goes according to plan, will allow the 1,700-year-old Buddhist city to survive. The 30-year agreement calls for the Metallurgical Corporation of China to provide public services, such as building clinics and mosques, and to provide local employment opportunities. This is a surprising change from initial fears. “We started with great hopes, but we didn’t believe this was possible,” says Ajmal Maiwandi, CEO of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Afghanistan’s leading heritage agency. “At least now we have the certainty that Mes Aynak will not be completely erased.” In 2022, the AKTC, which is overseeing the conservation of Mes Aynak, received a $1.2 million grant from the Swiss-based Aliph Foundation for archaeological recovery, documentation and protection of what remains, and preparation for the removal of the statues and carvings to the National Museum of Afghanistan.