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The Restoration Section This department has been busy restoring various items at the museum. From time to time foreign specialists have assisted in this work. The work completed in the first half of the Third Year of the Plan, in the absence of foreign specialists, is as follows: (i) restoring 101 pieces of sculpture. (ii) .. 310 pieces of earthenware. (iii) .. 102 pieces of plaster sculpture. (iv) .. 51 pieces of copper and brassware. (v) .. 622 coins. (vi) .. 25 manuscripts. (vii) .. 10 stone tablets. Manuscripts There are 640 volumes of manuscript and 208 rare printed books in this department. Arrangements are being made to place the manuscripts in two separate rooms and the printed books in another. A statute has been devised which, when put into effect, will assist in preserving the ancient relics both movable and immovable, throughout the country. The Decorations Department A specialist from Switzerland has been employed to help the Museum authorities in decorating the various rooms and galleries. The Fundukistan Room has now been rearranged. The remaining rooms and galleries are expected to be redecorated in the near future. EXCAVATIONS (i) Surkh Kotal A French archaeological team has been digging at Surkh Kotal (15 kilometres north-west of Pul-i-Khumri) with the co-operation of the Museum authorities ever since 1952. It was in the first year of this work that the central temple of Surkh Kotal was discovered. The following year the fire-worshipping centre was unearthed. In 1957 a most important 25-line tablet was discovered. Work continued during the following year on 8 sites in Surkh Kotal, from all of which interesting and important discoveries were made and relics produced. The works of art found in Surkh Kotal are supposed to belong to the Graeco-Bactrian period. Sculptures found show that in the same area there was also a Buddhist temple. Many coins, together with various pieces of brass and earthenware, were found to belong to the Koshani period. Among the other discoveries in this area are 16 tablets, 1 line each and 6 lines each, in the Greek and ancient Takhari languages. It is hoped that by deciphering the inscriptions, further light will be thrown on the language of the Afghan people two thousand years ago. (ii) Mundigak A French archaeological team in Afghanistan discovered the prehistoric hill at Mundigak in the vicinity of Kandahar in 1930. Since then until the autumn of 1958 excavation work continued on this site. The discoveries made here during this time were divided between the French team and the Kabul Museum at the end of the period of excavation, and the prehistoric room was thereupon opened at the museum. Among the items found at Mundigak are various seals, clay sculptures of humans and animals, stone sculptures, flint arrow heads, stone utensils and implements, bronzeware, copperware, bone implements, stone and clay bobbins, shells, pieces of gold, huge pitchers and pottery. During the year news has been received by the Museum authorities of discoveries made in various parts of Afghanistan, of which some have already been examined, with promising results, and others are still in the process of being studied. 87