Afghan Biographies

record 30 of 5154

Abdul Qadir Timori

Name	Abdul Qadir Timori
Ethnic backgr.	Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade	Afghan Institute of Archeology Director
History and Biodata	Afghan Institute of Archaeology has 24 Archaeologists. Archaeologists: Abdul Qadir Timori, Chief of Archeology Department, Director of Afghan Archaeology Department, Culture and Information Ministry (20150205, 20151029) Abdul Wasey Feroozi, director general of the National Institute of Archaeology in Kabul (2004, 20100915) Mir Zakir, deputy general director (20100915) Assistant Professor Mohammad Nadir Rasouli Director of Archaeology (2010) Abdul Qadir Temori Temory (20111028) Khair Muhammad Khairzada (20111028) Mohammed Rabi (20110714) Nour Agha Noori, head of archeology department (20171210, 20180610) Background: Originally part of the Museums Department (1919), this Afghan archaeological agency signed a contract in 1922 with French archaeologists of the Délégation archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA) to work on their excavations, at a time when the Afghanistan government was trying to broaden its independent foreign relations away from the British and Russian spheres of influence. The first Director was Alfred Foucher, who received a licence for the co-ordination of the excavations for 30 years. The artefacts unearthed were to be handed over to the government for display in the National Museum. In 1952 the contract was extended for a further 30 years. After World War II numerous archaeological missions, including those of the Italians, Americans, Japanese, British, Indians and Soviets, also conducted excavations. The first Afghan-led excavation took place in Hadda, Nangarhar Province in 1965. In 1966 the Institute of Archaeology was officially established as an institution in its own right under Italian-trained Director Dr Chaibai Mustamundi, with the aim of co-ordinating excavations, protecting archaeological sites and furthering the scientific study of the history of Afghanistan. In 1978 the Institute of Archaeology worked with Soviet archaeologists to excavate the Bactrian Gold Horde, one of the most amazing finds of the century. Although it became an independent institute in 1979 under the Department of Science, insecurity in the provinces during the 1980s and 1990s curtailed its work. Its original premises near Darulaman and Taj Beg Palaces, Kabul were damaged by rocket attacks and are still unusable. Since 2002 the Institute has been part of the Ministry of Information and Culture. From the late 1950s the Pashtu Academy and the Historical Society began publishing findings of scholars and archaeologists in Pashtu, Dari, English and French, contributing significantly to the development of Afghan historical studies. Numerous articles and research papers were also written during the 1960s and 1970s about historical sites in Afghanistan, and now the Institute continues in that scholarly tradition by publishing the quarterly Afghanistan Archaeological Review as well as numerous research papers written by foreign delegations. The Institute has a small Library of historic books, research papers and current research publications of both the Institute of Archaeology and the International Centre for Kushan Studies, which is housed in the same building. The Institute currently has 10 researchers, all members of the Academy of Sciences, most of whom were trained at the Department of Archaeology at Kabul University. They regularly participate in national and international seminars and conferences. The Institute has been excavating one month each summer on Tepe Narenj south of Kabul since 2005 and in Mes Ainak, Logar Province since 2009. In 2010, the Délégation archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA), the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and a delegation from Japan were active in archaeological research and field work in Afghanistan. Street address: Medina Bazaar, Qala-e-Fatullah, District 10, Kabul, Afghanistan Telephone: 93 (0) 20 220 2651 E-mail: archaeology_review@yahoo.com Proprietor: Ministry of Information and Culture - Office of the Deputy Minister for Culture and Heritage Contact: Assistant Professor Mohammad Nadir Rasouli Director of Archaeology Telephone: 93 (0) 700 214836 Dr Abdul Zahir Youssofzay obtained his BA at Kabul University in 1973 and went on to complete his PhD on Buddhist Arts of Afghanistan at Banaras University in India in 1996. From 1983-1991 he was Director General of the Afghan Institute of Archaeology and concurrently a Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, Kabul University. Zemaryalai Tarzi was director of Afghanistan's Institute of Archaeology when he was forced to flee the country a few months before the 1979 Soviet invasion.
Last Modified	2018-06-10
Established	2010-09-15