Archaeology
Andrew Lawler
Science 4 March 2011:
Vol. 331 no. 6021 pp. 1124-1125
DOI: 10.1126/science.331.6021.1124
Summary
A decade ago this week, the Taliban began its destruction of the world's two largest Buddha statues, which had stood watch over central Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley for some 1500 years. This week, cultural heritage officials met in Paris to review years of work to stabilize the fragile niches that had held the statues and to prepare for the spring opening of an open-air museum at the site. Afghan archaeologists are also focusing on another Buddhist complex 200 kilometers south of Bamiyan, called Mes Aynak, that stands in peril of destruction because it sits atop the world's second largest deposit of copper. The government and a Chinese mining company have agreed to delay operations. But to preserve Mes Aynak's treasures will require a huge international rescue effort—perhaps the largest archaeological endeavor ever undertaken in Afghanistan. Plans for the project face time, money, and security constraints in the war-torn country.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Afghanistan's Buddhas Can Be Rebuilt. But Should They? TIME blog
Posted by Aryn Baker Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Ten years ago next month, the world watched in horror as Afghanistan's Taliban regime blew up one of the ancient world's most inspiring works of art: two standing Buddha statues, one at 125 feet and the other at 180, that had been carved in a cliff face in the remote Bamiyan valley. Within days the Taliban had all but decimated the remains of a magnificent Buddhist civilization that had for six centuries ruled this strategic valley at the crossroads of Central Asian trade. They rampaged through the caves that honeycomb Bamiyan's cliffs, smashing thousands of smaller Buddha sculptures. They chiseled intricate frescoes from the walls, and where they weren't able to tear off the plaster, they gouged out the eyes and hands of those depicted. It was the last gasp of a regime already in decline, a crime perpetrated out of fundamentalist frenzy as much as a taunt to the rest of the world. The Taliban were in effect holding the buddhas hostage. Sanctions, recently imposed following the regime's refusal to give up Osama bin Laden, had ground the country's population deeper into poverty. Lashing out, the Taliban went to work, firing at the statues first with RPGs and AK-47s, then stuffing the porous sandstone with sticks of dynamite. They celebrated their crashing success by sacrificing a cow, then turned international outrage into a PR stunt. The West, they said, was more interested in preserving ancient idols than in helping the poor and starving Afghans. Within the year, the Taliban would be (temporarily, it turns out) defeated by the incoming US military in the wake of 9/11. And slowly Afghans started piecing together lives that had been torn apart by more than two decades of nearly continuous war. Now, an international team of researchers think they can piece together one of the Buddhas as well. But should they? As I wrote in a 2008 story:
In a process called anastylosis, original fragments of damaged statuary can be pieced together with cement or other materials — as has been done at Cambodia's ancient Angkor Wat temple complex. But if less than half of the original material remains, says restoration experts, the new structure loses its historical value, and should be considered a replica. And being rebuilt as a replica could put the World Heritage Site status of the Bamiyan Buddhas at risk.
The residents of Bamiyan care little about the replica debate. Many think that rebuilding the buddhas will bring back the tourists that were once the mainstay of this remote, and stunning region. And it is well worth the visit. While Afghanistan is hardly on most holidaymakers' must-do list, Bamiyan is a tranquil oasis in the middle of war. Even before the Taliban took over, the Buddhas were not the only site luring visitors to the lush green valley. Today, the empty niches where the buddhas once stood have their own austere beauty. And, they speak to a more recent history that should not be forgotten.
The Taliban were not the first to attack the Buddhas, as I wrote:
One of Afghanistan's early Islamic kings tore through the caves in the 11th century, smashing idols as he went. And at the end of the 19th century the mother of then King Abdul Rahman had cannons fired at the standing Buddhas. Afghan history… is filled with characters who attempt to erase the past. They, too, are part of Afghanistan's heritage — a heritage that it is his job to preserve. So, Bamiyan's Buddhas present a conundrum. Brutal though it may have been, the Taliban legacy is an important part of Afghanistan's recent past. The empty niches of Bamiyan are testament to a ruthlessness that should not be forgotten — rebuilding the Buddhas would be a kind of erasure. "The present condition of the buddhas is in itself an expression of our history," says [Abdul Ahad Abassy, head of Afghanistan's Preservation and Restoration of Historical Monuments department] "No matter how good or bad the Taliban were, we cannot tear that page from the book."
Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata has another solution: a laser light show that replicates the buddhas using wind and water-powered laser systems that will cast colored images into the empty niches. The project was due to be completed in 2009, and may remain shelved for some time to come, considering the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. And, as my colleague Tim McGirk wrote back in 2002, there may yet be another solution that answers everyone's needs: a long mythologized third Buddha that lies buried at the base of the cliffs
Source,
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/03/02/afghanistans-buddhas-can-be-rebuilt-but-should-they/
Ten years ago next month, the world watched in horror as Afghanistan's Taliban regime blew up one of the ancient world's most inspiring works of art: two standing Buddha statues, one at 125 feet and the other at 180, that had been carved in a cliff face in the remote Bamiyan valley. Within days the Taliban had all but decimated the remains of a magnificent Buddhist civilization that had for six centuries ruled this strategic valley at the crossroads of Central Asian trade. They rampaged through the caves that honeycomb Bamiyan's cliffs, smashing thousands of smaller Buddha sculptures. They chiseled intricate frescoes from the walls, and where they weren't able to tear off the plaster, they gouged out the eyes and hands of those depicted. It was the last gasp of a regime already in decline, a crime perpetrated out of fundamentalist frenzy as much as a taunt to the rest of the world. The Taliban were in effect holding the buddhas hostage. Sanctions, recently imposed following the regime's refusal to give up Osama bin Laden, had ground the country's population deeper into poverty. Lashing out, the Taliban went to work, firing at the statues first with RPGs and AK-47s, then stuffing the porous sandstone with sticks of dynamite. They celebrated their crashing success by sacrificing a cow, then turned international outrage into a PR stunt. The West, they said, was more interested in preserving ancient idols than in helping the poor and starving Afghans. Within the year, the Taliban would be (temporarily, it turns out) defeated by the incoming US military in the wake of 9/11. And slowly Afghans started piecing together lives that had been torn apart by more than two decades of nearly continuous war. Now, an international team of researchers think they can piece together one of the Buddhas as well. But should they? As I wrote in a 2008 story:
In a process called anastylosis, original fragments of damaged statuary can be pieced together with cement or other materials — as has been done at Cambodia's ancient Angkor Wat temple complex. But if less than half of the original material remains, says restoration experts, the new structure loses its historical value, and should be considered a replica. And being rebuilt as a replica could put the World Heritage Site status of the Bamiyan Buddhas at risk.
The residents of Bamiyan care little about the replica debate. Many think that rebuilding the buddhas will bring back the tourists that were once the mainstay of this remote, and stunning region. And it is well worth the visit. While Afghanistan is hardly on most holidaymakers' must-do list, Bamiyan is a tranquil oasis in the middle of war. Even before the Taliban took over, the Buddhas were not the only site luring visitors to the lush green valley. Today, the empty niches where the buddhas once stood have their own austere beauty. And, they speak to a more recent history that should not be forgotten.
The Taliban were not the first to attack the Buddhas, as I wrote:
One of Afghanistan's early Islamic kings tore through the caves in the 11th century, smashing idols as he went. And at the end of the 19th century the mother of then King Abdul Rahman had cannons fired at the standing Buddhas. Afghan history… is filled with characters who attempt to erase the past. They, too, are part of Afghanistan's heritage — a heritage that it is his job to preserve. So, Bamiyan's Buddhas present a conundrum. Brutal though it may have been, the Taliban legacy is an important part of Afghanistan's recent past. The empty niches of Bamiyan are testament to a ruthlessness that should not be forgotten — rebuilding the Buddhas would be a kind of erasure. "The present condition of the buddhas is in itself an expression of our history," says [Abdul Ahad Abassy, head of Afghanistan's Preservation and Restoration of Historical Monuments department] "No matter how good or bad the Taliban were, we cannot tear that page from the book."
Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata has another solution: a laser light show that replicates the buddhas using wind and water-powered laser systems that will cast colored images into the empty niches. The project was due to be completed in 2009, and may remain shelved for some time to come, considering the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. And, as my colleague Tim McGirk wrote back in 2002, there may yet be another solution that answers everyone's needs: a long mythologized third Buddha that lies buried at the base of the cliffs
Source,
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/03/02/afghanistans-buddhas-can-be-rebuilt-but-should-they/
UNESCO mourns destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas
Staff Report
2011-03-02
PARIS – UNESCO is marking the 10th anniversary of the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhist Bamiyan statues with scholarly meetings and a statement calling for protection of the world's cultural heritage.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called on governments, educators and media to raise awareness of international treaties preserving artifacts and banning looting, smuggling and illicit trade in artifacts in a March 1 statement.
UNESCO held a Bamiyan commemorative forum in Paris March 2, and the 9th Bamiyan Expert Working Group (EWG) will discuss ways to preserve the Bamiyan ruins March 3 and 4.
UNESCO does not favour rebuilding the statues.
"The destruction, that of the Buddhas, was very inhuman ... the Taliban painted a very dark picture of itself in that particular region of the country, which had both ethnic and cultural diversity," Afghan journalist Lotfullah Najafizada told Central Asia Online.
The Taliban began destroying the Buddhas March 2, 2001.
Source,
http://centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/caii/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/caii/newsbriefs/2011/03/02/newsbrief-07
2011-03-02
PARIS – UNESCO is marking the 10th anniversary of the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhist Bamiyan statues with scholarly meetings and a statement calling for protection of the world's cultural heritage.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called on governments, educators and media to raise awareness of international treaties preserving artifacts and banning looting, smuggling and illicit trade in artifacts in a March 1 statement.
UNESCO held a Bamiyan commemorative forum in Paris March 2, and the 9th Bamiyan Expert Working Group (EWG) will discuss ways to preserve the Bamiyan ruins March 3 and 4.
UNESCO does not favour rebuilding the statues.
"The destruction, that of the Buddhas, was very inhuman ... the Taliban painted a very dark picture of itself in that particular region of the country, which had both ethnic and cultural diversity," Afghan journalist Lotfullah Najafizada told Central Asia Online.
The Taliban began destroying the Buddhas March 2, 2001.
Source,
http://centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/caii/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/caii/newsbriefs/2011/03/02/newsbrief-07
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Will one of two destroyed Buddha statues be reconstructed? CNN
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 2, 2011 5:54 a.m. EST
A German professor believes reconstructing the smaller of the Bamiyan figures is possible
(CNN) -- The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, once painted in bright colors, remained silent sentinels as they reacquired the hues of the sandstone cliffs from which they were carved.
The statues, which looked upon a visually stunning region of central Afghanistan for about 1,500 years, have been gone for 10 years, victims of the Taliban, who destroyed them as part of its campaign to destroy pre-Islamic artifacts considered an assault on the faith.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday will begin three days of meetings in Paris about a long-range plan for preserving the snow-capped valley's cultural heritage and the remains of the Buddhas, which overlooked a Buddhist monastery.
"They were destroyed in the context of the conflict devastating Afghanistan and to undermine the power of culture as a cohesive force for the Afghan people," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in a statement Monday.
A German professor believes reconstructing the smaller figure is possible.
UNESCO, which is nearing the completion of an effort to preserve the Buddha niches in Bamiyan and wall paintings, does not favor rebuilding the figures.
But it does want to protect the 5,000 fragments of what were once among the world's great artistic and religious treasures.
Today, the massive caves where the Buddhas once stood are huge, empty pockets carved into cliffs that dominate the countryside. The recovered pieces -- many the size of large boulders, others as tiny as pebbles -- are stored in several shelters.
The smaller female Buddha stood around 10 or 11 stories tall.
Professor Erwin Emmerling of the Technical University of Munich, Germany, said reconstruction of the female Buddha is possible, using remaining parts and other materials, according to the university's website. It would not necessarily resemble the ancient statue.
The scientist said the work would require a small factory to be built in the Bamiyan Valley. Otherwise, 1,400 rocks, some weighing 2 tons, would have to be sent to Germany.
Emmerling will present his findings at the UNESCO conference.
The Afghanistan government will have the final decision on any such steps.
The statues survived the ravages of Mongolian conqueror and warrior Genghis Khan, centuries of wars and the natural wear and tear of the elements. In March 2001, Taliban militants, using explosives and tank fire, spent weeks blowing up the two colossal figures. One was 55 meters (180 feet) high, the other 38 meters (125 feet).
The Technical University analyzed fragments of the statues and determined they were once painted in brilliant shades of blue, pink, orange and red. They had been repainted several times, possibly because of fading, Emmerling said.
In 2003, with the support of the governments of France, Britain, Italy and Japan, work was begun on restoring the destroyed artifacts. UNESCO that same year placed the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley on its World Heritage List and List in Danger.
"The site testifies to the region's rich Gandhara school of Buddhist art that, during the 1st to 13th centuries, integrated different cultural influences from East and West," according to UNESCO.
CNN's Ivan Watson and Peter Bergen contributed to this report
Source,
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/01/buddha.statues/
March 2, 2011 5:54 a.m. EST
(CNN) -- The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, once painted in bright colors, remained silent sentinels as they reacquired the hues of the sandstone cliffs from which they were carved.
The statues, which looked upon a visually stunning region of central Afghanistan for about 1,500 years, have been gone for 10 years, victims of the Taliban, who destroyed them as part of its campaign to destroy pre-Islamic artifacts considered an assault on the faith.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday will begin three days of meetings in Paris about a long-range plan for preserving the snow-capped valley's cultural heritage and the remains of the Buddhas, which overlooked a Buddhist monastery.
"They were destroyed in the context of the conflict devastating Afghanistan and to undermine the power of culture as a cohesive force for the Afghan people," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in a statement Monday.
A German professor believes reconstructing the smaller figure is possible.
UNESCO, which is nearing the completion of an effort to preserve the Buddha niches in Bamiyan and wall paintings, does not favor rebuilding the figures.
But it does want to protect the 5,000 fragments of what were once among the world's great artistic and religious treasures.
Today, the massive caves where the Buddhas once stood are huge, empty pockets carved into cliffs that dominate the countryside. The recovered pieces -- many the size of large boulders, others as tiny as pebbles -- are stored in several shelters.
The smaller female Buddha stood around 10 or 11 stories tall.
Professor Erwin Emmerling of the Technical University of Munich, Germany, said reconstruction of the female Buddha is possible, using remaining parts and other materials, according to the university's website. It would not necessarily resemble the ancient statue.
The scientist said the work would require a small factory to be built in the Bamiyan Valley. Otherwise, 1,400 rocks, some weighing 2 tons, would have to be sent to Germany.
Emmerling will present his findings at the UNESCO conference.
The Afghanistan government will have the final decision on any such steps.
The statues survived the ravages of Mongolian conqueror and warrior Genghis Khan, centuries of wars and the natural wear and tear of the elements. In March 2001, Taliban militants, using explosives and tank fire, spent weeks blowing up the two colossal figures. One was 55 meters (180 feet) high, the other 38 meters (125 feet).
The Technical University analyzed fragments of the statues and determined they were once painted in brilliant shades of blue, pink, orange and red. They had been repainted several times, possibly because of fading, Emmerling said.
In 2003, with the support of the governments of France, Britain, Italy and Japan, work was begun on restoring the destroyed artifacts. UNESCO that same year placed the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley on its World Heritage List and List in Danger.
"The site testifies to the region's rich Gandhara school of Buddhist art that, during the 1st to 13th centuries, integrated different cultural influences from East and West," according to UNESCO.
CNN's Ivan Watson and Peter Bergen contributed to this report
Source,
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/01/buddha.statues/
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Bamiyan Buddha Statues: Ten years on
01.03.2011
It is precisely ten years since the destruction of the statues of Buddha at Bamiyan in Afghanistan by the Taleban regime. With plans to rebuild the two statues having been shelved, their vestiges remain as a rallying point to preserve cultural heritage...and to remember the many other instances of destruction and pillage.
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) considers that the vestiges of the two enormous statues of Buddha at Bamiyan can serve as a focal point for humankind to remember our common cultural heritage and to ensure that we protect it.
"The two monumental statues had stood for one and a half millennia as proud testimonies to the greatness of our shared humanity. They were destroyed in the context of the conflict devastating Afghanistan and to undermine the power of culture as a cohesive force for the Afghan people," she stated at her Headquarters in Paris.
In July 1999, issuing a decree to protect the statues, Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar stated: "The government considers the Bamiyan statues as an example of a potential major source of income for Afghanistan from international visitors. The Taliban states that Bamiyan shall not be destroyed but protected."
However, as the Taleban radicalised their position against imagery and in favour of more and more strict versions of their own interpretation of Sharia law, mixed up with the imposition of Pashtun lore, while targeting the non-Pashtun or less Islamist sections of Afghan society, calls were made by religious leaders to destroy the statues because the worship of images is against Islam. This was despite the fact that in his ruling two years before, Mullah Omar had stated that there was no longer a community of Buddhists in Afghanistan who worship the statues.
It was also despite the fact that ambassadors from the 54 states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference had declared unilaterally in favour of protecting them.
It took the Taleban weeks of determination to destroy them. After strafing the giant structures with anti-aircraft guns and artillery for several days, they were mined. When that failed to work, rockets were fired at them and then finally, they sent teams of sappers to insert explosives into the structures.
Today only the niches where the statues once stood remain. UNESCO does not consider the option to rebuild them worthwhile (they were carved into the cliff face), yet there are still Buddhist monastic sanctuaries, as well as fortified Islamic buildings, at the site which is witness to 13 centuries of Buddhist art showing various eastern and western cultural influences.
However, this was not the only outrage against our collective cultural heritage. Irina Bokova explains, "Since then we have witnessed other instances where cultural heritage has fallen prey to conflict, political turmoil and misappropriation".
The main issues at stake are the need to raise awareness and fight against attacks on cultural properties through looting, smuggling and illicit trade and more importantly, the promotion of tolerance and cultural rapprochement. This will be the central theme of the Forum at UNESCO's HQ in Paris on March 2, which will be followed by the Bamiyan Expert Working Group on March 3 and 4.
At this last meeting the future of the niches remaining at Bamiyan and the way forward for this site will be discussed among representatives from Afghanistan, international experts, donors and other stakeholders.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda.Ru
Source,
http://english.pravda.ru/history/01-03-2011/117057-bamiyan_buddha-0/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed#
It is precisely ten years since the destruction of the statues of Buddha at Bamiyan in Afghanistan by the Taleban regime. With plans to rebuild the two statues having been shelved, their vestiges remain as a rallying point to preserve cultural heritage...and to remember the many other instances of destruction and pillage.
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) considers that the vestiges of the two enormous statues of Buddha at Bamiyan can serve as a focal point for humankind to remember our common cultural heritage and to ensure that we protect it.
"The two monumental statues had stood for one and a half millennia as proud testimonies to the greatness of our shared humanity. They were destroyed in the context of the conflict devastating Afghanistan and to undermine the power of culture as a cohesive force for the Afghan people," she stated at her Headquarters in Paris.
In July 1999, issuing a decree to protect the statues, Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar stated: "The government considers the Bamiyan statues as an example of a potential major source of income for Afghanistan from international visitors. The Taliban states that Bamiyan shall not be destroyed but protected."
However, as the Taleban radicalised their position against imagery and in favour of more and more strict versions of their own interpretation of Sharia law, mixed up with the imposition of Pashtun lore, while targeting the non-Pashtun or less Islamist sections of Afghan society, calls were made by religious leaders to destroy the statues because the worship of images is against Islam. This was despite the fact that in his ruling two years before, Mullah Omar had stated that there was no longer a community of Buddhists in Afghanistan who worship the statues.
It was also despite the fact that ambassadors from the 54 states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference had declared unilaterally in favour of protecting them.
It took the Taleban weeks of determination to destroy them. After strafing the giant structures with anti-aircraft guns and artillery for several days, they were mined. When that failed to work, rockets were fired at them and then finally, they sent teams of sappers to insert explosives into the structures.
Today only the niches where the statues once stood remain. UNESCO does not consider the option to rebuild them worthwhile (they were carved into the cliff face), yet there are still Buddhist monastic sanctuaries, as well as fortified Islamic buildings, at the site which is witness to 13 centuries of Buddhist art showing various eastern and western cultural influences.
However, this was not the only outrage against our collective cultural heritage. Irina Bokova explains, "Since then we have witnessed other instances where cultural heritage has fallen prey to conflict, political turmoil and misappropriation".
The main issues at stake are the need to raise awareness and fight against attacks on cultural properties through looting, smuggling and illicit trade and more importantly, the promotion of tolerance and cultural rapprochement. This will be the central theme of the Forum at UNESCO's HQ in Paris on March 2, which will be followed by the Bamiyan Expert Working Group on March 3 and 4.
At this last meeting the future of the niches remaining at Bamiyan and the way forward for this site will be discussed among representatives from Afghanistan, international experts, donors and other stakeholders.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda.Ru
Source,
http://english.pravda.ru/history/01-03-2011/117057-bamiyan_buddha-0/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed#
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