Gap In History: Afghans Recall Taliban's Destruction Of Famed Buddha Statues
By Usman SHARIFI
03/08/21 AT 9:36 PM
Afghanistan's giant Buddhas stood watch over the picturesque Bamiyan valley for centuries, surviving Mongol invasions and the harsh environment until the Taliban arrived with an apocalyptic worldview that did not care about one of the great wonders of antiquity.
After years of scorched-earth offensives across Afghanistan, the militants -- who saw any representation of the human form as an affront to Islam -- turned their attention to the two Buddhas in Bamiyan, peppering the carvings with tank shells and rocket fire before ultimately dynamiting them in March 2001.