A historical site in Afghanistan tells the story of upheaval and pain

The World

In the plains of Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan, there once stood two giant, sixth-century Buddha statues. They were thrown into the global spotlight in 2001 when the Taliban blew them up. The next two decades brought conflict, but also moments of revival and hope. That all changed last August, when the same group that destroyed the statues took charge of the country for a second time. The World’s Shirin Jaafari looks at the story of the Buddhas of Bamiyan and what they tell us about Afghanistan.

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