WORLD HERITAGE SITE - THE GIANT BUDDHAS OF AFGHANISTAN

Not many years ago there were two giant Buddhas etched into the sandstone cliff face of the Bamyan Valley of Afghanistan. They were created by years of etching into the sandstone during the 4th and 5th centuries. During that period Buddhism had become the major religion in the Bamyan area. Buddhism was replaced by the Islamic religion during the 18th century and the Giant Buddhas were regarded as relics of an opposing religion by several islamic leaders. In 1997 a Taliban leader indicated that the Buddhas would be destroyed. There was widespread opposition to this proposal from many countries. Despite this the Taliban began the process of destruction. The destruction took several weeks but resulted in the images being reduced to piles of rubble. Today there are occasions when enlarged images appear in the hollows via digital projection. The sandstone images have been destroyed but the World Heritage Status gained in 2003 has survived.