The Buddhas of Afghanistan

Afghan girls walk past the empty seat of one of the two Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 (Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images).

Bamiyan Buddha reconstruction

The Guardian

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues by the Taliban, an exhibition opened at the British Museum this week showcasing more than 200 examples of Afghanistan's cultural heritage over the last 4,000 years. The exhibition, which has toured internationally since 2006, was inaugurated by President Karzai on Tuesday. Among the items on show are 2,000-year-old artefacts from the ancient city of Bagram, north of today's capital, Kabul. "These are an extraordinary set of ivories stolen from the National Museum in Kabul, bought by a London dealer specifically to return them... More>>

• The Hill of Gold
• Hope for one of the Buddha statues blown up by the Taliban
• 10 years after, Afghans work to save Buddhist Monastery
• (Science News) A decade ago this week, the Taliban began its destruction of the world's two largest Buddha statues, which had stood watch over central Afghanistan's...
• Afghanistan's surviving treasures
• Destroyed Buddhas Reveal Their True Colors
• Bamiyan 10 Years On: What this Anniversary tells us
• Remembering tragic destruction of giant Buddhas

• Bad day for Buddha smashers
• Afghanistan's Golden Legacy
• Journey to the past
• Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World
• Tales of perseverance: librarian, curator, survivor of Swat
• The statue in Jehanabad is said to be the second largest in Asia after the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan, which were blown up by Taliban in 2001...