Saving Mes Aynak (video)

Can Afghan archaeologists take on the Chinese and the Taliban to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site?

A 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan is under threat of demolition as a Chinese mining company, eager to access the world's largest untapped copper deposits, closes in. China Metallurgical Group Corp (MCC) wants to extract the $100bn worth of copper lying beneath the ruins of the ancient Buddhist city of Mes Aynak. Only 10 percent of Mes Aynak has been excavated, though, and some believe future discoveries at the site have the potential to redefine the history of Afghanistan and the history of Buddhism itself. Saving Mes Aynak follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to stop the crumbling monasteries and ruins from being destroyed. Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists face what seems an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and local politics to save their cultural heritage from likely erasure.