NEW YORK – Afghanistan, which is regarded as the heart of Central Asia, can rightfully lay claim to a rich and important art history dating back thousands of years. In addition to brass mirrors and bronze rings and seals, Bronze Age archeological sites in Afghanistan have yielded scores of decorative ceramic vessels and sculpted clay figurines. In addition, 2,000-year-old burial mounds found within the country have yielded a trove of more than 20,000 pieces of exquisite gold jewelry: the fabled Bactrian Hoard.