【Badakhshan, 】Afghanistan Mining: Dark Blue Semi Precious Stone & Gold

Nestled among the rugged mountain ranges of northeastern Afghanistan lies one of the world’s most treasured resources: lapis lazuli, a deep dark blue semi-precious stone renowned for its vivid color and historical significance. For over 6,000 years, the mines in Badakhshan province have been the primary source of this coveted gemstone. As of 2025 and moving into 2026, Afghanistan mining remains essential not just to the local and national economies, but also to the broader global supply chain for lapis lazuli—a role augmented by the country’s untapped gold and other mineral deposits.
The Afghan mining sector finds itself at a crossroads: artisanal miners continue to work under often hazardous conditions, extracting lapis and, to a lesser extent, gold. Meanwhile, international development agencies, technological advances, and local authorities are striving to improve safety, security, and sustainability. As we look toward 2026 and beyond, understanding the complex interplay of tradition, economic necessity, and opportunity in Afghanistan mining is crucial for policymakers, industry, and consumers worldwide.

Among all gemstones extracted worldwide, Afghan lapis lazuli stands apart due to its intense cobalt-blue hue marked with golden pyrite flecks. These unique characteristics result from a specific geological formation found primarily in the Badakhshan region, making its lapis supply distinct from deposits found elsewhere in the world.
This region’s lapis has remained highly sought after for millennia. In the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, lapis adorned the statuary and tombs of kings; the Egyptian pharaohs used it as a symbol of divine power, with the vivid blue pigment even found in Tutankhamun’s burial mask. During the Renaissance, jewelers and artists prized the stone for both its beauty and its utility in creating the ultra-rare pigment ultramarine, used in legendary masterpieces from Da Vinci to Michelangelo.
Despite decades of conflict and ongoing political instability in the country, lapis lazuli extraction endures. It remains one of the few vital livelihoods for rural communities in northeastern Afghanistan. The stone is not only an economic resource but an embodiment of Afghan cultural heritage, representing resilience and identity in an ever-changing world.

As of 2025, lapis lazuli mining in Afghanistan continues primarily on a small to medium scale. Activities are largely carried out by artisanal miners who employ traditional mining methods passed down through generations.
Artisanal Extraction Methods
Location: Extraction is concentrated in Sar-e-Sang mines (Badakhshan province), historically regarded as the oldest active gemstone mine in the world.
Mining Practices: Miners extract large boulders of lapis by hand using basic tools in precarious open-cut galleries, often in dangerous conditions (including risk of landslides and explosions).
Scale: The majority of operations remain small to medium scale—industrialization lags behind global standards due to security challenges, remote geography, and limited infrastructure.
Labor Force: Artisanal miners constitute a vital part of the economy, providing essential work in regions with few opportunities outside of mining.
Evolving Practices and Safety Improvements
Driven by international development agencies and limited government authorities, improvements are slowly being promoted:
– Safer mining environments advocated through basic training, safety gear, and oversight.
– Introduction of sustainable techniques and reduced reliance on explosives.
– Support for traceability solutions, such as Farmonaut’s blockchain traceability tool for enhanced transparency across the artisanal mining supply chain.

Despite ongoing efforts, the mineral extraction sector in Afghanistan continues to face bottlenecks linked to remote geography, lack of infrastructure, and persistent security concerns.