Afghanistan | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/afghanistan/RSS feed for AfghanistanenWed, 04 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000Afghanistan Was a Crossroad of the Ancient World, Where Hellenistic Culture Blended With Buddhist Influenceshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/afghanistan-was-a-crossroad-of-the-ancient-world-where-hellenistic-culture-blended-with-buddhist-influences-180988065/Alexander the Great conquered the region around 329 B.C.E., leaving behind Greek and Macedonian settlers who intermarried with locals. Their descendants eventually formed new kingdoms whose legacies continue to be debated todayWed, 04 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/afghanistan-was-a-crossroad-of-the-ancient-world-where-hellenistic-culture-blended-with-buddhist-influences-180988065/A Stunning Sculpture of the Buddha Modeled After a Destroyed Sixth-Century Statue Is Coming to New York City's High Linehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stunning-sculpture-of-the-buddha-modeled-after-a-destroyed-sixth-century-statue-is-coming-to-new-york-citys-high-line-180987940/Known as "The Light That Shines Through the Universe," the 27-foot-tall artwork created by Tuan Andrew Nguyen will be installed on the Plinth this springMon, 05 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stunning-sculpture-of-the-buddha-modeled-after-a-destroyed-sixth-century-statue-is-coming-to-new-york-citys-high-line-180987940/Why a Minnesota Man Walked Around the World, Traversing 13 Countries and 14,450 Miles in Four Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-a-minnesota-man-walked-around-the-world-traversing-13-countries-and-14450-miles-in-four-years-180985172/Fifty years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst completed the first verified circumnavigation of the globe on foot. Along the way, he met Princess Grace of Monaco, raised money for UNICEF and lost a brother to banditsFri, 04 Oct 2024 09:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-a-minnesota-man-walked-around-the-world-traversing-13-countries-and-14450-miles-in-four-years-180985172/After 30 Years, Looted Kushan Bull Sculpture Will Return to Afghanistan's Kabul Museumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-30-years-looted-kushan-bull-sculpture-return-afghanistans-kabul-museum-180974034/The artifact is one of thousands left destroyed, damaged or missing after civil war broke out in the 1990sThu, 23 Jan 2020 16:58:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-30-years-looted-kushan-bull-sculpture-return-afghanistans-kabul-museum-180974034/Hundreds of Artifacts Looted From Iraq and Afghanistan to Be Repatriatedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-artifacts-looted-iraq-and-afghanistan-repatriated-180972584/The trove, currently stored at the British Museum for safekeeping, includes 4th-century Buddhist sculpture fragments and 154 Mesopotamian cuneiform tabletsTue, 09 Jul 2019 19:15:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-artifacts-looted-iraq-and-afghanistan-repatriated-180972584/New Poll of U.S. Troops and Veterans Reveals Their Thoughts on Current Military Policieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/new-poll-us-troops-veterans-reveals-thoughts-current-military-policies-180971134/In a new Smithsonian poll, conducted with the help of Stars and Stripes, current and former members of the armed forces take aim at conventional wisdomWed, 02 Jan 2019 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/new-poll-us-troops-veterans-reveals-thoughts-current-military-policies-180971134/The New Archaeology of Iraq and Afghanistanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hesco-barriers-new-archaeology-iraq-afghanistan-180971009/The once-fortified outposts that protected U.S. troops are relics of our ambitions abroadWed, 02 Jan 2019 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hesco-barriers-new-archaeology-iraq-afghanistan-180971009/A Warrior Comes Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/warrior-comes-home-corproral-jimenez-180971010/Corporal Jimenez was on patrol in southern Afghanistan when a mine exploded, changing his life foreverTue, 18 Dec 2018 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/warrior-comes-home-corproral-jimenez-180971010/Could a Freeze-Dried Vaccine Spell the End of Polio Worldwide Forever?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/freeze-dried-vaccine-could-spell-end-polio-180970907/The vaccine does not require refrigeration, meaning aid workers could get it to children in hard-to-reach regions of the world. So far, it works in mice.Wed, 28 Nov 2018 20:36:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/freeze-dried-vaccine-could-spell-end-polio-180970907/A New Poem is Commissioned to Honor the Soldiers Who Fight America’s Warshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/new-poem-commissioned-honor-soldiers-who-fight-americas-wars-180963041/Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa writes “After the Burn Pits” for the National Portrait Gallery Thu, 27 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/new-poem-commissioned-honor-soldiers-who-fight-americas-wars-180963041/