Bamiyan Valley World Heritage Site

The cultural landscape and archaeological remains in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. See also Other World Heritage sites in Afghanistan

Buddhas of the Bamiyan Valley
Wikipedia article with information about the Buddhas o0f the Bamiyan Valley.

Destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas
Article published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the tragic dist ruction, by the Taliban, of two standing Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan in March of 2001

UNESCO's Description of the Bamiyan Valley
"The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley represent the artistic and religious developments which from the 1st to the 13th centuries characterized ancient Bakhtria, integrating various cultural influences into the Gandhara school of Buddhist art. The area contains numerous Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries, as well as fortified edifices from the Islamic period".

Why the Bamiyan Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

1. The Buddha statues and the cave art in Bamiyan Valley are an outstanding representation of the Gandharan school in Buddhist art in the Central Asian region.
2. The artistic and architectural remains of Bamiyan Valley, and an important Buddhist center on the Silk Road, are an exceptional testimony to the interchange of Indian, Hellenistic, Roman, Sasanian influences as the basis for the development of a particular artistic expression in the Gandharan school. To this can be added the Islamic influence in a later period.
3. The Bamiyan Valley bears an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition in the Central Asian region, which has disappeared.
4. The Bamiyan Valley is an outstanding example of a cultural landscape which illustrates a significant period in Buddhism.
5. The Bamiyan Valley is the most monumental expression of the western Buddhism. It was an important center of pilgrimage over many centuries. Due to their symbolic values, the monuments have suffered at different times of their existence, including the deliberate destruction in 2001, which shook the whole world.

More Bamiyan Valley Resources
- Sitari Tours: Introduction to Bamiyan
- Lonely Planet: Introducing Bamiyan

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