Bamiyan
alternative words: Bamian, Baamiyaan, Buddha of Bamiyan, Buddha statue of Bamiyan
keywords: locality
related topics: Taliban , Kabul
related web sites: http://hss.fullerton.edu/comparative/bam_buddhas.htm , http://www.purabudaya.com/resources/bamiyan/bamiyan.htm , http://www.gandhara.com.au/afghan.html
explanation: Located 230km northwest of Kabul and 2500m high, Bamiyan was one of the centers of Gandhara Buddhist culture 2000 years ago with 2 huge Buddha statues (53m and 38m) carved in 4th century on the cliff of Hindu Kush mountains. Chinese pilgrims of 7th century left us a story of beautifully colored colossal Buddha. In 8th century, when the area was invaded by Arabs, the monks abandoned monasteries. In March 2001, in spite of a worldwide protestation Taliban completely demolished them