In 2001, the Taliban in Afghanistan dynamited two of three giant Bamiyan Valley Buddhas in Afghanistan. Since then, the Buddha remnants at Bamiyan (also spelled Bamyan and Bamian) were included on the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund. Many well-meaning organizations have taken an interest in the restoration of the monuments. Others, both inside and outside of Afghanistan, argue that to do so would be a double blasphemy, since any recreation would only “Disneyfy” the area and erase the evidence of distruction, which is now part of Afghanistan’s history. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘U.N.’
Restoration another form of destruction?
Posted in Conflicts of Interest, tagged Afghanistan, Buddhism, restoration, Taliban, U.N., war on March 31, 2008| 2 Comments »