The Telegraph UK tells the remarkable story of an Afghan security guard who kept the 2100-year-old Golden Hoard of Bactria safe. The guard, Askerzai, has guarded the vault, in which the 20,000 artifacts have been stored, for 30 years and has seen it through Soviet and Taliban regimes.
Lone security guard tells how he saved Bactrian treasure By Hamida Ghafour in Kabul
The artifacts themselves were found in 1978 and consist of "coins, medallions, plates, and necklaces set with precious stones." The vault was carved from rock and secured with steel doors with seven locked bolts.