Aynak

Aynak is an area in Logar Province, Afghanistan, about 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul, notable for containing one of Asia’s largest copper deposits. The Aynak copper deposit sits in the Hindu Kush foothills near the Logar River and is part of a large porphyry copper system whose ore reserves and copper content have attracted international interest for development as a major mining project.

The site is also of archaeological significance. Since excavations began in the 1960s, Aynak has yielded a substantial Buddhist monastery complex dating from roughly the 2nd to 6th centuries CE and thousands of artifacts, making it one of Afghanistan’s most important Buddhist-era archaeological sites. Preservation of the site has been a consideration in any mining development.

In 2007 the Afghan government awarded a long-term concession to a Chinese‑Afghan consortium led by the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) to develop the mine and construct accompanying infrastructure, including a copper smelter and a power transmission line. The project was envisioned as a cornerstone of Afghanistan’s industrial development and a major source of revenue and employment.

Progress has been hampered by security concerns, political instability, and disputes over governance, compensation, and cultural preservation, leading to repeated delays. As of the early 2020s, the Aynak project had not reached full-scale production, while its archaeological and cultural heritage components continued to attract attention from national authorities and international partners.

The Aynak site thus reflects Afghanistan’s mineral potential and the complex balance between resource extraction, security, governance, and heritage preservation.