Remains of a Buddhist monastery at Mes Aynak

Mes Aynak (Pashto: مس عينک‎, meaning "little source of copper") is a site 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, located in a barren region of Logar Province. The site contains Afghanistan's largest copper deposit, as well as the remains of an ancient settlement with over 400 Buddha statues, stupas and a 40 ha (100 acres) monastery complex. It is also considered a major transit route for insurgents coming from Pakistan. Archaeologists are only beginning to find remnants of an older 5,000-year-old Bronze Age site beneath the Buddhist level, including an ancient copper smelter.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mes Aynak