The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues:

Technical Considerations & Potential Effects on Authenticity and

Outstanding Universal Value

Technical meeting and symposium organised by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, UNESCO, and Tokyo University of the Arts

Sponsored by the Government of Japan

In 2001 the Taliban destroyed Bamiyan’s famous giant Buddha statues. The now iconic footage of their destruction still resonates powerfully as acts of iconoclasm continue to be perpetrated around the world.

Following years of painstaking conservation and archaeology in Bamiyan, the Government of Afghanistan and UNESCO are hosting a symposium in Tokyo to discuss conservation ethics and the potential revitalisation of the Eastern Buddha statute in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

The Government of Afghanistan and UNESCO are inviting proposals from experts on how they would like to revitalise the Eastern Buddha niche – either by reconstructing the Buddha statue or by other means.

 “The property (…) symbolises the strong hope of the Afghan and Bamiyan people that peace will be constructed in the minds of the citizens of this ravaged country, to enable the Afghan people to restore their lives and cultural heritage” - Government of Afghanistan

Click here to find out more about UNESCO's work in Afghanistan: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/kabul/ 

Top photograph: Mohammad Ali Sheida