MAR, 2nd (Ghar i)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

One of the archaeologically important limestone caves (or rock shelters) in the vicinity of –>Aq Kupruk. SITUATION: About 5 m above Ghar i –>Mar (Snake Cave). To reach the north facing cave (DUPREE & KOLB 1972: 33), steps had to be cut in the limestone wall. CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: The entire roof had been covered with a plaster base, and there Buddhist artists had painted colourful scenes in various shades of blue, red, brown and beige. These paintings are almost obliterated by generations of iconoclastic Muslims. DUPREE (1964c: 639) reports a wall of bricks, about 5 m high, identical to those found in their original position in the Kushan levels [in the lower cave]. The period between the late 6th and early 7th centuries AD ties in very well with most other Buddhist paintings in Afghanistan. DUPREE (1972a: 12): In a cave above Aq Kupruk 1, several badly mutilated Buddhist paintings were found. These designs could not be reconstructed, but, hopefully, a technical analysis of theplaster on which the paintings were executed will give us hints as to their relationships with other sites.