Painting at bamyan in afghanistan predating european oil painting
28-Nov-2019 23:11
The destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas became a symbol of oppression and a rallying point for the freedom of religious expression.
Despite the fact that most Afghans are now Muslim, they too had embraced their past and many were appalled by the destruction.
The Silk Road is a caravan route linking the markets of China with those of Western Asia.
Until the 11th century, Bamyan was part of the kingdom of Gandhara.
The lower parts of the statues’ arms were constructed from the same mud-straw mix while supported on wooden armatures.Monks at the monasteries lived as hermits in small caves carved into the side of the Bamyan cliffs.Many of these monks embellished their caves with religious statuary and elaborate, brightly-colored frescoes. They were perhaps the most famous cultural landmarks of the region, and the site was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the surrounding cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamyan Valley.They were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were “idols” (which are forbidden under Sharia law).
International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which was viewed as an example of the intolerance of the Taliban and of Islamism.Therefore he looted Buddhist monasteries and stole other important artifacts.