Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="kushanx" data-source="post: 9614270" data-attributes="member: 19747"><img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51571000/jpg/_51571350_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi001.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />For centuries the Buddhas of Bamiyan stood in central Afghanistan, but 10 years ago the Taliban blew up what they considered un-Islamic representations of the human form.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51582000/jpg/_51582901_nyc65347.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Prior to their destruction the Buddhas, which were carved into a mountainside in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains, were among Asia's great archaeological treasures. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573227_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi042.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The larger statue stood at 53m (125ft) above the town of Bamiyan and was considered to be the most remarkable representation of the Buddha anywhere in the world. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51574000/jpg/_51574196_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi016.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Today all that remains in the recess where it once stood are two mounds that were once its feet.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573353_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi044.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Nearby, fragments of the Western Buddhas are collected in a cave, placed there by archaeologists working to preserve what is left.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573229_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi043.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The site where the eastern Buddha stood is now full of scaffolding.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573105_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi031.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />A Japanese team of experts has been visiting the town for a number of years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing deterioration. The blasts used to destroy the statues has left cracks in the stone which are vulnerable to the elements and further erosion.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573423_bamyan_cave_afghanistan_unesco_idps_09.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The cliffs on which the Buddhas stood comprise a network of caves, some of which are inhabited.<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573423_bamyan_cave_afghanistan_unesco_idps_09.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Inside some of the caves pieces of Buddhist art can be seen, these are now thought to be the oldest oil paintings in the world. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573475_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi004.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The BBC's Alastair Leithead visited the area in 2008 and said: "Wandering through the Buddhist temples carved out of the rock, there is little left of the murals destroyed in the last 30 years of war after surviving for centuries." <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51574000/jpg/_51574114_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi020.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Inside some of the caves pieces of Buddhist art can be seen, these are now thought to be the oldest oil paintings in the world. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51574000/jpg/_51574111_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi008.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The BBC's Alastair Leithead added: "A combination of the vibration from artillery shells, the Taliban chiselling away the depictions of faces and hands, and looting put paid to most of the paintings."<img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573473_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi010.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />A twist in tale involves the legendary third Buddha which was described by a pilgrim in the mid-7th Century. According to his account, the third reclining Buddha was 1,000ft long and lay on the valley floor. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573060_bamiyan_unesco_alex_masi003.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Dr Zemaryali Tarzi, an Afghan-born archaeologist known as the Indiana Jones of Bamiyan, is searching for a statue he believes remains hidden. <img src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51573000/jpg/_51573380_bamyan_cave_afghanistan_unesco_idps_01.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />For now though the mystery remains. Photographs by Alex Masi, except slide two by Steve McCurry.</blockquote>

Verification: Awruddata maasa keeyada?

Top Bottom