Parwan’s Topdara Stupa Wins UNESCO Merit Award

The historical Topdara stupa in the province of Parwan won a merit award at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation held in Thailand

According to local officials, the Topdara stupa won the merit award along with six other nations in the region.

“The Topdara stupa won (the merit award) in the UNESCO organization awards,” said Abdul Ghaffar Raofi, the head of culture and tourism at Parwan’s Department of Information and Culture.

Meanwhile, Parwan’s educators emphasized the need to preserve this province’s historical monuments, saying that they serve as a symbol of a society’s cultural identity.

“These monuments are important from both a cultural and commercial point of view because we can profit from tourists coming,” said Ayel Shabrooz, a cultural activist.

“The tourism industry will expand if this historical monument receives the attention of international cultural organizations,” said Hekmatullah Mirzada, a university lecturer.