Thailand will take the lead in the restoration of the giant Buddha statues in the region of Bamiyan in Afghanistan that were blasted by the former extremist Taleban regime, Thailand's foreign Minister Surakiart declared last week.

Minister Surakiart said that the Kingdom of Thailand, as a Buddhist country, would be willing to take the lead in the restoration of the once very famous 1,500 year old statues that were blown up by the Taleban in 2001 as the Taliban regime considered the Buddha statues as non Islamic.

The Bamiyan Buddha statues were among Asia's greatest archaeological treasures and were a holy place of pilgrimage for many Buddhists from all over the world. The largest of the two statues stood 53 meters high and was the tallest Buddha statue in the world.

Thailand's participation in this restoration has been requested by the Afghan Minister of Industry and Food Production, Mohamad Alim Razam, who headed a 24 member delegation on a working visit to Thailand last week.

The Buddha's of Bamiyan
One of the most unfortunate victims of Afghanistan's tumultuous recent past were the historic Bamiyam Buddha statues. Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the destruction of all non-Muslim statues in Afghanistan in the year 2001, an action bringing an instant tidal wave of international criticism from leaders across the world. On March 1, 2001, Omar began the demolition, sending out officials from the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and the Promotion of Virtue to destroy the Buddha statues. He informed reporters that these orders were issued in accordance with the religion of Islam. The serene and peaceful Bamiyam valley, where the Bamiyam river flows, was forever changed by the tank gunfire and rocket explosions that was used to bring down the statues. the whole civilized world shuddered and many wept.

Those Buddha statues were part of Afghanistan's finest archaeological site in Bamiyam, 190 miles or 240 Km. west of Kabul. Some consider the site to be the most important link between the ancient civilizations of the east and the west. The site stands high above the town, lying in the heart of the Hindu Kush Mountains.

The tallest Buddha statue stood 175 feet high (53 meters) and was carved out of a massive sandstone cliff and overlain with stucco. Nearby stood another Buddha, 120 feet high (37 meters) high, but the smaller Buddha's had already lost it's head and robes when it had been vandalized by a Taliban commander, in September 1998. This was at a time after Kabul was seized and when the Taliban regime began enforcing a strict interpretation of their Islamic laws. Orders were given to destroy all religious portraits & pictures because they were "idolatry."

This archeological site of Bamiyan is situated in the rugged valleys and turquoise lakes area of central Afghanistan, which was a part of the historic Asian Silk Road, some 1,500 years ago.

The exquisite beauty of the valley is framed by the snow capped Kohe Baba mountains in the south and the pastel and red colors of the rugged rock surroundings. This part of Afghanistan was a major commercial and religious center under Kanishka the Great, 2,000 years before the Buddha statues were carved out of the mountain.

The Buddha statues survived the invasion of Genghis Khan, who ordered the destruction of every living thing in the area and for several centuries, Buddhist Folladi Pilgrims from all over the world came to Bamyam to admire the spectacular and sacred site and the thousands of caves in the mountain.

In the 9th century, Bamyam fell to the Islamic conquerors and in the 1980s, the Buddha statues survived the Soviet occupation, when the nearby lands were bombed and mined.

Despite thousands of years of wind and storms, invasions and wars, the Buddha's of Bamyam stood proud and tall. But, they could not survive the encounter with the Taliban and the Afghan struggle for tolerance, understanding and freedom.

The Bamyam Buddha's were carved in the 2nd and 5th century A.D., and had proudly withstood the ravages of weather and time. Although weather-worn, nearby some of the stucco works and wall paintings were still preserved. The sculptures and paintings were a mix of Indian, Central Asian, Iranian, and classical European styles. The walls of the 300 foot high cliffs, where the Buddha statues stood are dotted with hundreds of caves that were the living quarters of Buddhist monks and, until recently, still inhabited. These cave sites included Shahr-e Golgola and Sharh-e Zahar.

The Bamyam statues were once Afghanistan's most famous and conspicuous tourist attraction, attracting thousands of visitors and at the same time generating huge revenue for the poorer region of Bamiyam in the Bamian district of Afghanistan, due to it's isolated geographic location.

The demolition of the over 2,000 year old Buddha figures was "a crime against humanity" by the Taliban and its loss is irreversible.