"BĀMIYĀN,

LOCATION: Bāmiyān Province. In the mountainous district of eastern central Afghanistan, 246km by road west of Kābul

DATE: ?Graeco-Bactrian, 2nd-1st C BC. (Numismatic); Kushan-Sasanian, 2nd-7th C. (Ceramic, stylistic); Turk-pre-Mongol Islamic, 7th-13th C. (Ceramic, architectural).

DESCRIPTION: An extensive area of remains along the foot of the cliffs bordering the north side of the valley. Gor a lenghth of c. 1800 m the cliff face is honeycombed with some 750 artificial caves, all forming a part of an extensive Buddhist monastic centre. Some are very large and elaborately decorated in sculptures and frescos. There are two large standing statues of Buddha, 53 m an 38 m high respectively, with a third seated Buddha between the two. At the foot of the cliffs many mounds cover structural remains, including a large stupa to the east of the 38 m. Buddha and a series of Turkish-Ghurid fortifications. Some Graeco-Bactrian coins were also excavated here in the 19th century.

From Ball, W. Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan, Paris, 1982, p. 49

CONDITION: The Buddha statues were blown by the taliban in march 2001. In 2003 the Japanese Government made a contribution of 1,800,000$ for its preservation. UNESCO is the implementing agency.

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