Gabrielle Niu (Penn Museum) enhanced and updated by Wisdom Quarterly
Afghan archaeologist examines the remains of Buddha statues discovered inside an ancient monastery in Mes Aynak, Logar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 23, 2010 (AP).
Afghanistan, it often goes unremembered, for centuries flourished as a cultural crossroads of Buddhism and trade along the Silk Road. Nineteen miles (30 km) from the Afghan capital of Kabul, under layers of unexcavated earth, lays a large
2,600-year-old Buddhist monastery. Mes Aynak is a sprawling trove of Buddhist monastery ruins, statues, and reliquaries (
stupas) attesting to the prolific role that Afghanistan played in the spread of Buddhism in
Central Asia (to Russia) and East Asia (to China).
More
Afghan archaeologist examines the remains of Buddha statues discovered inside an ancient monastery in Mes Aynak, Logar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 23, 2010 (AP).
Afghanistan, it often goes unremembered, for centuries flourished as a cultural crossroads of Buddhism and trade along the Silk Road. Nineteen miles (30 km) from the Afghan capital of Kabul, under layers of unexcavated earth, lays a large 2,600-year-old Buddhist monastery. Mes Aynak is a sprawling trove of Buddhist monastery ruins, statues, and reliquaries (stupas) attesting to the prolific role that Afghanistan played in the spread of Buddhism in Central Asia (to Russia) and East Asia (to China). More
