February
16
/ 2014
The World Heritage Committee (WHC) has halted the reconstruction of the magnificent Bamiyan Buddhas, which were obliterated by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 despite wide-spread campaigns to support the revival of the largest representation of a standing Buddha in the world. The Bamiayn Buddhas were two large standing Buddha statues, measuring 53 and 38 metres in height, and carved into solid rock. The enormous monuments were a reflection of Afghanistan, not only as a crossroads for the cultures of its powerful neighbours – China, India, and Persia – but also contributing greatly in its own right. However, in a few weeks of fury in March 2001, the Taliban militia demolished the 1,700-year-old statues, as well as every artefact and
