Buddhas of Bamiyan: The colossal twin statues that stood sentinel over Afghanistan — until the Taliban destroyed them

2024-08-13

A massive statue of Buddha carved into a sandstone cliff. One of the two monumental Buddha statues carved into a sandstone cliff in Afghanistan. (Image credit: Jenny Matthews via Alamy)

The twin Buddha statues stood sentinel over a valley in Afghanistan until being destroyed by the Taliban. Now all that’s left are two cavities.

The Buddhas originally stood 125 feet (38 meters) and 180 feet (55 m) tall, respectively, overlooking the Bamiyan Valley below, according to Harvard University.

But in 2001, the pair — which had stood for more than 1,500 years — were destroyed by the Taliban, which declared the Buddhas un-Islamic.

The twin statues were part of an area punctuated with Buddhist monasteries, chapels and sanctuaries, all of which were nestled inside caves. Many of the caves were elaborately decorated with paintings of Buddha figures, with additional caves found years after the Buddhas were destroyed. However, little is known about who carved the statues, according to UNESCO.

Now, more than 20 years after the statues were destroyed, all that remains of the site — which was once a popular Buddhist pilgrimage destination — are two identical cavities in the rock wall where the statues once stood, offering a haunting reminder of what was once there.