Two major collections, not seen for years, have been uncovered in Afghanistan and Iraq. “But when will these astonishing objects next be seen, and where? That, too, is highly controversial. In neither Baghdad nor Kabul is the security position good enough to allow museums to reopen – and the Kabul Museum is a ruin. It has been mooted that both the Bactrian and Nimrud treasures should go on international tour to museums in America. The Musée Guimet in Paris – which has a magnificent Afghan collection – has expressed interest in the Bactrian gold. But these are highly sensitive proposals. To parade the Nimrud jewellery around the USA, would ‘not be at all a tactful thing to do. Let the Iraqi people see their treasures first’.”