Amazing discovery! Who knew Afghanistan was a gold mine...

Afghanistan and gemstones have been inextricably linked for
6500 years and the country remains rich in precious and semiprecious
gemstone deposits (Figure 1). Lapis lazuli, mined in the
Hindu Kush since the Neolithic Period, was transported along
the ancient trade routes to Mesopotamia, Ur, Egypt and India.
Precious gems including emeralds, ruby and sapphires (Figure 2)
are mined in Afghanistan, and semi-precious lapis lazuli,
tourmaline, aquamarine, kunzite, topaz, garnets, fluorite and
varieties of quartz are also worked. Afghanistan is also a source of
good quality mineral specimens sought by collectors.
Gemstone mining in Afghanistan is typically an artisanal
activity, carried out by people living in villages surrounding
the mines. Tunnels are excavated and gems are extracted by
hand using drills, dynamite and often high explosives recycled
from ordnance. These techniques lead to much waste and
damage to gems, and result in low yield.
Most of the gemstones mined in Afghanistan leave the country
illicitly, 90–95 % of them going to Peshawar in Pakistan where
they are sorted for quality.