Afghanistan

Fears Mount Over The Future Of Afghanistan's Historic Bamiyan Valley

An Afghan worker pushes a wheelbarrow under the empty space where a 1,400-year-old Buddha statue once stood in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

Archaeologists working to preserve what little cultural heritage is still present in the Bamiyan Valley have been dealing with illegal excavations, encroaching developments, and Taliban gunmen who use the remnants of the Buddhas for target practice.

The Bamiyan Valley, situated in the middle of the Hindu Kush mountains, is one of Afghanistan's two UNESCO World Heritage sites. Archaeological finds consist of Buddhist artwork created between the first and 13th centuries.

In March 2001, the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime blew up the culturally significant Buddha sculptures Salsal and Shahmama after declaring them to be un-Islamic. The international community strongly denounced the destruction.

Members of the Taliban stand at the site, which was added to a UNESCO list of endangered cultural sites in 2003. 

Despite the destruction of the Buddha statues, visitors continue to visit the Bamiyan Valley where, in 2008, scientists said the world's oldest oil paintings had been discovered in a cave carved into the mountain.

A detail of Buddhist murals in Bamiyan, which date back to around A.D. 650.  

“This is the earliest clear example of oil paintings in the world, although drying oils were already used by ancient Romans and Egyptians, but only as medicines and cosmetics,” said Yoko Taniguchi, the leader of the team of scientists.

The cash-strapped Taliban regime has started to build a tourism complex, which archaeologists worry will further damage the ancient grounds. The complex will be situated adjacent to the Buddhist monastery caves.

The Taliban also allows the site to be used for coal mining, an additional threat.

 

Adding to the problems at Bamiyan is an influx of displaced Afghans from Kunduz Province, whose homes were destroyed by flooding and who now live in an open area in front of the ruins.

The 55-meter Salsal statue, which means "the light shines through the universe," was also known as the "Western Buddha." It is seen here in a photo from 1997.