Bamiyan Valley

The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley is an outstanding representation of Gandharan Buddhist art and culture in Central Asia.

The kingdom of Bamiyan was a Buddhist state strategically located on the Silk Road and an important pilgrimage center. The site has eight components, including caves with painted decorations and Buddha statues carved into the cliffs. The cliffs held two standing Buddhas, measuring 55 and 37 meters high respectively, that were the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world. They were deliberately destructed in March 2001 by the Afghan Taliban government and only the niches remain.

Community Perspective: Sidney visited in 1971 and witnessed a spectacular sunset on the Buddha statues. Wojciech has described the situation he found in 2024, when he saw the now empty niches and two further components.

Map of Bamiyan Valley

Community Reviews

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Wojciech Fedoruk

Poland - 19-Sep-24 -

I visited the monuments of Bamyan during one day in September 2024. For an appetizer, there was Shahr-i Ghulghulah, which can be translated as the City of Screams. This rather terrifying name comes from the destruction of the city by Genghis Khan's troops, which left no one alive. Apparently this was because Genghis Khan's beloved grandson had been killed earlier during the siege of Bamyan, but the Mongols did not need too many excuses to destroy everything living among their defeated opponents. The City of Screams never recovered from this massacre and today it is a complex of charming ruins on the mountainside.

The main course was something that doesn't exist. The world's largest standing Buddha statues, carved into rocks in the 6th century AD. and barbarously destroyed by the Taliban during their first rule in 2001. Despite several attempts and the scaffolding existing for unknown reasons, these statues have not been recreated, only niches remain. They can be viewed from below and above, because a system of corridors led to the head of each statue. Currently, the corridors located next to the smaller, 37-meter statue are open. Visiting the niches is more of an exercise in the imagination, because without the statues they are much less interesting. As a side note - it seems that the current Taliban are more liberal for now, but in my opinion this is just an illusion. After consolidating their power, they may return to the barbaric practices known from 1996-2001.

Probably the most interesting monument of Bamyan was Shahr-i-Zuhak, located several kilometers away. Zuhak was built in the 6th century, fortified several hundred years later, and destroyed during the same Mongol invasion that destroyed the City of Screams. The city was divided into two parts - residential and defensive. There are steep stairs leading to the living area - the climb takes about 20 minutes and is very tiring. It takes at least another 20 minutes to get to the defensive part. Some of our group gave up on the second part, which is a pity - there are fantastic views from the top. At the top there is a Soviet cannon, probably transported there by helicopter. Zuhak is ruined, but some of the richly decorated walls have survived to this day and are extremely spectacular.

sidney

USA - 01-May-05 -

It was not exactly a day more like a 2 week experience in 1971. The most amazing place on my journey East. I had the good fortune to sit on the Giant Buddhas head and meditate and watch the sun rise over the Hindu Kush and watch those mountain peaks turn a color red that I had never seen in my life. The sunset on the buddha was just as spectacular. Lost to us forever by forces from hell. I also had the good fortune to ride horses over the fiords of Band I Amir lakes. I will never forget my trip to Bamiyan, I cried when I saw the destruction of the Buddha, I cried for all our loss but most of all for Hazra people who no longer have the magic of the Buddha. Sidney

Community Rating

9 Votes 4.26 Score

Site Info

Full Name: Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley
Unesco ID: 208
Country: Afghanistan
Inscribed: 2003 - In Danger
Type: Cultural
Criteria: 1 2 3 4 6
Categories: Cultural Landscape - Relict Religious structure - Buddhist
Link: By ID

Site History

2003 In Danger

"suffered from abandonment, military action and dynamite explosions. Parts of the site are inaccessible due to the presence of antipersonnel mines."

2003 Inscribed

1983 Deferred

Deferred as conditions under which recommendation made not yet fulfilled

Site Links

Unesco Website

Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley

Official Website

Visit Bamiyan

BBC news

In the News

Italy throws Afghanistan a lifeline for restoration in the Bamiyan area (2023.04.22)

Taliban orders coal traders to leave Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley (2022.04.27)

A Rogue Taliban Governor Has Been Digging Beneath the Ruins of the Bamiyan Buddhas, Chasing a Rumor of Buried Treasure (2022.02.09)

The Taliban destroyed Afghanistan’s ancient Buddha statues. Now they’re welcoming tourists. (2021.11.25)

Video Shows Taliban Using Remnants Of Bamiyan Buddhas For Target Practice (2021.11.11)

Bamiyan artifacts pillaged amid Afghan turmoil (2021.09.14)

Preparing the Removal of Bamiyan from the List of World Heritage in Danger (2020.02.27)

Afghanistan shelves plan to restore Bamiyan Buddha (2018.07.30)

Official Warns Of Vanishing Archeological Sites In Bamiyan Valley (2018.01.25)

Rebuilding history? Debate rages over lost Afghan Buddhas (2016.12.01)

Bamiyan Buddhas rise again in 3D (2015.06.15)

Bamiyan Buddhas unauthorized reconstruction work stopped (2014.02.09)

Destroyed Bamiyan Buddha statues not to be rebuilt (2012.02.18)

Ancient Buddhas Will Not Be Rebuilt - UNESCO (2011.03.18)

UN says remaining Bamiyan Buddha statues did not suffer from blast by NZ soldiers (2008.05.05)

World ponders rebuilding biggest Buddhas (2006.12.10)

Ancient Persian drawing found in Afghan Buddhist cave (2006.07.26)

Locations

The site has 8 locations

Bamiyan Valley: Bamiyan Cliff including niches of the 38 meter Buddha, seated Buddhas, 55 meter Buddha and surrounding caves Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Kakrak Valley caves including the niche of the standing Buddha Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Qoul-I Akram Caves in the Fuladi Valley Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Kalai Ghamai Caves in the Fuladi Valley Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Shahr-i-Zuhak Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Qallay Kaphari A Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Qallay Kaphari B Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Valley: Shahr-i-Ghulghulah Bamiyan District, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

Damaged

Blown up: Bamiyan buddhas, 2001

Landmines

Iconoclasm: Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001

Geography

Highest cultural WHS: 2,800 m

History

Silk Roads: Southern Land Route; "stopping place on the branch of the Silk Route, which linked China and India via ancient Bactria; ... an important Buddhist centre on the Silk Road" (AB ev)

Sieges and Battles: The Shahr-e Gholghola was the site of 13th century Siege of Bamyan and the massacre of the city's population by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, avenging the murder of his favorite grandson. This is the origin of the city's moniker "City of Woe".

Sassanid Empire: The two Buddhas were built in the period between AD 544 to 595 for the 38 meter "Eastern Buddha" and between AD 591 and 644 for the larger "Western Buddha". In this period, Bamiyan was part of the Sassanid Empire. The Gandhara school of Buddhist art, of which Bamiyan Valley is an outstanding representation, drew from the Hellenistic, Roman and Sasanian art traditions. In the Kakrak Valley caves, there are fragments remaining of a sanctuary with painted decorations from the Sasanian period. (AB ev)

Individual People

Xuanzang: In Bamyan, Xuanzang met the king and saw tens of non-Mahayana monasteries, in addition to the two large Buddhas of Bamiyan carved out of the rockface.

Travels of Hyecho: "A month later, Hyeocho arrives in Gandhara, where Buddhist art reached brilliant heights. He goes north from there, passing through Oddiyana, and then west, to Afghanistan. He visits Bamyan and then heads to Tokhara." - Northeast Asian History Foundation

Genghis Khan: The Shahr-e Gholghola was the site of 13th century Siege of Bamyan and the massacre of the city's population by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, avenging the murder of his favorite grandson. This is the origin of the city's moniker "City of Woe". The citadel of Shahr-e Zuhak in the valley was also destroyed by Genghis Khan.

William Moorcroft: "Moorcroft continued his journey, reaching Kashmir on 3 November 1822, Jalalabad on 4 June 1824, and Kabul on 20 June. He and his companions were the first Europeans to see the Buddhas of Bamiyan" (Wiki). In fact the Hungarian pholologist, orientalist and founder of Tibetology", Sándor Kőrösi Csoma had done so around Jan 1822 and had subsequently met up with Moorcroft in Kashmir in July 1822.

Ella Maillart : Visited in 1939. Captured in the film documentary "Double Journey" (2015)

Religion and Belief

Buddhist sites in non-Buddhist countries

Legends and Folk Myths: Legend has it that the two statues are two runaway lovers who petrified themselves to remain frozen together in eternity.

Science and Technology

Digitized by Iconem

Cultural property cloning: "the painting of the “Soaring god of the sun” that was present on the ceiling of the Buddhas in Bamiyan in Afghanistan, which was destroyed in 2001"

Timeline

Built in the 6th century: Following the destruction of the statues in 2001, carbon dating of organic internal structural components found in the rubble has determined that the two Buddhas were built circa AD 600, with narrow dates of between AD 544 to 595 for the 38 meter "Eastern Buddha", and between AD 591 and 644 for the larger "Western Buddha".

Trivia

In Video Games: Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Built elsewhere as a full size replica: n Sri Lanka, a full-scale replica of one of the Buddhas has been created which is now known as the Tsunami Honganji Viharaya at Pareliya. It is dedicated to the victims of the 2005 tsunami.

Visiting conditions

One thousand visitors or fewer: DD : “There are no statistics available on the number of visitors and tourism activities. As Afghanistan has suffered many years of civil unrest in the past two decades, tourism development has been scarce in recent years.” (there may be a reasonable number of local visitors)

Do Not Travel: Afghanistan fully off-limits

WHS Names

Named after a River: "The Kunduz River (Persian: رود قندوز) is a tributary of the Amu Darya in northern Afghanistan. It rises in Bamyan Province in the Hindu Kush, and in its upper reaches is also known as the Bamyan River or the Surkhab River" (wiki)

WHS on Other Lists

World Monuments Watch (past): Buddhist Remains of Bamiyan (2008)

World Heritage Process

Ten years or more to inscribe: 1983-2003

Directly in Danger: 2001 Buddha statues destroyed, 2003 inscribed and placed in danger

Visitors

20 Community Members have visited.

Eva Kisgyorgy Hanming Harry Mitsidis Henryjiao18 Janos Knut Liu tuo Loic Pedras Luis Filipe Gaspar Maki Wang Marcobrey Peter Day Piotr Wasil RahulSharma Roman Bruehwiler SHIHE HUANG Simu47@gmail.com Szucs Tamas Tedchang Wojciech Fedoruk

The Plaque

No plaque has been identified yet for this site.

World Heritage Site

for World Heritage Travellers