Remnants of a crime against culture

In March 2001, six months before the September 11^th bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Taliban destroyed two ancient statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. The giant Buddhas carved into a mountainside in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains, were among Asia's great archaeological treasures.

The larger of the two statues (built in the 5^th century CE)- which stood at 53 meters - was believed to have been the world's tallest standing Buddha. The other statue measured 38 meters from the 3^rd century CE used to be in the big hole behind the tank as shown in the picture above.

These giant Buddhas have been destroyed by the use of mortars, dynamite, tanks, anti-aircraft weapons and rockets. Some of the shells can still be found next to the hole of the smaller Buddha (see picture below).

Pictures from September 2006.