On 26 November 2022, UNESCO announced the winners of the Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservations. 13 projects from 6 countries – Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand – have been acknowledged for awards by an international jury in this year’s Awards programme. Jury deliberations were carried out in November 2022, when members reviewed a total of 50 entries from 11 countries from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Topdara Stupa, which is located in Charikar of Afghanistan is winner of Award of Merit.

A dome-shaped ancient Buddhist shrine, the Topdara stupa to the north of Kabul was described by 19^th century British explorer Charles Masson as “perhaps the most complete and beautiful monument of the kind in these countries.” Since Masson’s visit in 1833, the Topdara stupa saw few visitors and had fallen into neglect until recently, in 2016, when an Afghan cultural heritage organisation began its preservation and excavation work. 

For more information about this heritage site, please read: https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/the-largest-standing-stupa-in-afghanistan-a-short-history-of-the-buddhist-site-at-topdara/