Without international intervention, heritage sites in Afghanistan hang in the balance under the Taliban. Sarvy Geranpayeh reports.
Twenty-two years ago, on 11 March 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, monumental sixth and seventh century statues located in Afghanistan’s Bamyan Valley, after waging a 10 day war against the historic site under the orders of the group’s then-leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. The 55 meter Western Buddha and the 38 meter Eastern Buddha, known to the locals as Salsal and Shahmama, respectively, had remained intact for over a thousand years prior to the rampage.
The Taliban were pushed out of power later that year by the US government, and by 2003, the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of Bamiyan Valley, which includes eight sites across a vast area, were placed on Unesco’s ‘World Heritage In Danger’ list. Experts, politicians and culture enthusiasts spent the next two decades preserving, researching and developing plans to protect what was left of Bamiyan and other historic sites across the country...Keep reading on The Art Newspaper.
Twenty-two years ago, on 11 March 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, monumental sixth and seventh century statues located in Afghanistan’s Bamyan Valley, after waging a 10 day war against the historic site under the orders of the group’s then-leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. The 55 meter Western Buddha and the 38 meter Eastern Buddha, known to the locals as Salsal and Shahmama, respectively, had remained intact for over a thousand years prior to the rampage.
The Taliban were pushed out of power later that year by the US government, and by 2003, the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of Bamiyan Valley, which includes eight sites across a vast area, were placed on Unesco’s ‘World Heritage In Danger’ list. Experts, politicians and culture enthusiasts spent the next two decades preserving, researching and developing plans to protect what was left of Bamiyan and other historic sites across the country...Keep reading on The Art Newspaper.