Renowned historian Nancy Dupree dies in Afghanistan

Renowned American historian and archeologist Nancy Hatch Dupree passed away early Sunday in the country, to which she dedicated 55 years of her life by documenting and preserving its cultural heritage.

Her death in the capital was announced by the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU), an institution she founded that now houses more than 100,000 documents in various languages.

"With deep sadness, we mark the loss of the honorary 'grandmother of Afghanistan2 and stand in homage to a woman of exemplary grace, dedication, humor and humanity," the ACKU noted in a brief statement.

"Departing this world, she leaves behind a rich legacy of service and dedication to the two great loves of her life: her second husband Louis, and her adopted home Afghanistan," the statement read.

Born in the U.S. in 1927, she went to high school in Mexico, then to Barnard College, and in 1962, she moved to Afghanistan as a diplomat's wife.

In an op-ed for the New York Times in July 2008, she shed light on the developments in post-Taliban Afghanistan and underlined the areas that still needed attention.

Dupree deeply admired the country and its people. "Afghans possess a remarkable inner strength that has carried them through two decades of war and displacement. If they are given the knowledge they need to fully participate in reconstruction efforts, their country will move forward steadily, to the benefit of all," she stated.