The original locality for lapis lazuli is the Sar-e-Sang deposit in Afghanistan's remote Badakhshan district. In the Achaemenid period, azure was called "Kabutkeh". In the Sassanid period, azure was consumed a lot. The roof of Ctesiphon, as well as various sculptures, is made of azure; it is possible that they used azurite instead of azure in making these works. 

According to the standard classification of uniform soil, sand is divided into two categories: fine sand and coarse sand. Solid soil particles are called sand if their diameter is between 0.50 and 2 mm. Sand is in very commonly use in construction, often providing bulk, strength and stability to other construction materials such as asphalt, concrete, mortar, render, cement, and screed.

In 2010, US Pentagon officials, along with US geologists, uncovered approximately $ 1 trillion in untapped mineral reserves in Afghanistan. A Pentagon note says Afghanistan could become Saudi Arabia's lithium. Some believe that intact minerals are worth up to $ 3 trillion.

Sand is produced by crushing rocks. Coarse stones are produced from the crushing and separation of natural stones, and finer sands, in addition to stones, also contain shells and corals. In civil engineering, aggregates smaller than 75 mm and coarser than 4.75 are called sand. Sands are divided into two categories according to the source and type of grains used in construction.