Afghan treasures on 17-month tour

— -- An exhibit of archaeological treasures from Afghanistan — including gold objects thought to have been lost under Taliban rule — will open at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., May 25 to kick off a 17-month tour of the USA. Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures From the National Museum, Kabul, co-sponsored by the National Geographic Society, travels to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The more than 200 objects include artifacts dating back more than 4,000 years, plus items from the famed Bactrian gold hoard, the 2,000-year-old treasure cache discovered in 1978 and feared destroyed until found in a Kabul bank vault in 2003.