‘Buddhas of Bamiyan’ may be restored
March 2nd, 2011 - 1:55 pm ICT by ANI
London, Mar 2(ANI): Scientists have said that it may be possible to reconstruct the smaller of two giant 1,500-year-old ‘Buddhas of Bamiyan’ statues blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan 10 years ago.
The two gigantic Buddha statues dating back to the 6th century looked out over the Bamiyan Valley on the Silk Road formed the centerpiece of one of the world’s largest Buddhist monastic complexes.
Since the suppression of the Taliban regime, European and Japanese experts, working on behalf of UNESCO and coordinated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), have been endeavoring to secure the remains and restore access to the statues.
Researchers have now concluded the 38 metre statue could be restored using over 1,000 sandstone fragments that weigh up to two tonnes, said Erwin Emmerling of Munich’s Technical University.
The proposal will be presented to UNESCO in Paris this week, The Independent reports.
The statues were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were “idols”.
International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which was viewed as an example of the intolerance of the Taliban.
Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues. (ANI)
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