World Heritage Committee halts reconstruction of ancient Bamiyan Buddhas

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 artwork which they considered sacrilegious, as part of their campaign to rid Afghanistan of pre-Islamic structures.