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Many buildings in Herat city were relatively unaffected, but the mediaeval minarets of its famous mosques sustained some damage, photographs on social media showed.

The mediaeval minarets of Herat sustained some damage, photographs on social media showed, with cracks visible and tiles fallen off.

"This is an incredible patrimony of history, art and medicine," said Luca Pesante, one of the curators of the exhibit, which also includes mediaeval floor tiles and decorative plates, some made from designs by Raphael.

It had to be measured with utter precision in order to slot into the corners of the mediaeval masonry where the original architects had put their first roof frame 900 years ago.

Suddenly a country usually lauded as a pluralistic Muslim democracy finds itself being accused of mediaeval moral meddling.