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Afghan conflict threatens giant Buddhas
December 6, 1997
Web posted at: 3:48 p.m. EST (2048 GMT)BAMIAN, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The armed conflict between the Islamic Taliban militia and its opponents has not only taken a murderous toll on the Afghan people but is raising concerns about some of the country's archeological treasures -- particularly a pair of famous Buddha statues in the Bamian valley of central Afghanistan.
The sandstone statues are believed to date back to the third century and with a height of 55 meters (182 feet) and 38 meters (125 feet) respectively, the two Buddhas are believed to be among the tallest in the world.
Archeologists point out that they clearly show diverse cultural influences, illustrated by the Greek robes draping the Buddhas and the Indian and central Asian sculptural styles.
Experts point out that the artistic quality of the statues displays Bamian's legacy as a stopover on the ancient silk road that linked central Asia with China.
Weather and war have conspired to deface the Buddah But both time and the Afghan civil war have taken their toll. Bamian is a staging ground for the anti-Taliban alliance, and Taliban jets have dropped bombs perilously close to the statues. Today, the Buddhas are without faces, and the rest of the bodies are weather-beaten and pockmarked.
Archeologists are asking the international community to provide technical assistance to save the precious statues.
"I appeal to the international community to help us in preserving the Buddhas. The Buddhist countries, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- the entire world has to pay attention to the statues, which belong to the world, not only to us," said Mohammad Jawa Safa of the Department for Preservation of Historic Sites.
"If protective efforts aren't made, then the Buddhas will be destroyed by warlords and civilians," he added.
Afghanistan Buddha
The "civilians" are the hundreds of refugees who have sought shelter in nearby caves, which once were Buddhist monasteries, and still display lavish frescoes. One refugee, who arrived at the caves a month ago, said he had no choice but to seek haven in the cave. He said he had no job and did not know how long he would have to stay.
The Taliban have used the area around the site as a stronghold Now, with winter setting in, the cave residents are lighting wood fires, and the soot is blackening the frescoes.
Some experts say the tourists, who flocked to the Bamian valley in the 1970s, will come back once peace has been restored. Meanwhile, the nation's cultural heritage is slowly losing its luster.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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