Bamiyan Buddhas: Should they be rebuilt?

[dipsydoodle]

The destruction of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 led to global condemnation of the Taliban regime. But the decision by Unesco not to rebuild them has not put an end to the debate about their future.

When the Taliban were at the height of their power in Afghanistan, leader Mullah Omar waged a war against idolatry.

His biggest victims, in size as well as symbolism, were two standing stone Buddhist statues. Once the largest in the world - one measured 55 metres in height - they were carved into the sandstone cliff face of the Bamiyan valley in central Afghanistan during the 6th Century.

When the Taliban were overthrown in 2003, Unesco declared the valley a world heritage site and archaeologists flocked to it. What they found were two enormous empty caverns and a pile of debris littered with unexploded mines.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18991066

[Igel]

1. Perhaps.

If you're a scholar you rebuild to see what something looked like before it was destroyed. You reconstruct the artefact, and in so doing learn of its dimensions, purpose, and construction.

We know that about these Buddhas.

There's a secondary mission, as well, and that's educating the public. This might look like tourism. But it tends to be done for museums and sites that don't really charge above maintenance.

If you're into the religion, you rebuild to restore a site. The Hazara aren't Buddhists. If people want to restore them for worship, let them. But that's not really UNESCO's mission.

If you're into tourism, you rebuild to restore a sight. That's what's at issue there. If it's really profitable, raise private money and pay dividends. Or just raise private money for donations, but make it clear that it's really a tourist attraction that you're building.

They could preserve the site. But is there really much to preserve?

[Zorro]

2. They're in the boondocks

Not much in the way of tourist accommodations around that area, unless you're into sleeping in a yurt.

I think they are probably gone forever.

[kenny blankenship]

3. Yeah! We're not leaving until we rebuild those monuments

which were created to celebrate a religion which stresses the transitory nature of life and the vanity of striving. Of course we will have to neutralize the entire Afghan landscape to put in place the necessary infrastructure to enable the international NGO and pro bono architectural and art historical communities to come in, pitch camp in the wilderness and set about restoring these remarkable landmark statues using only authentically Buddhist Afghan labor, of which there is precious little of since it attracts IEDs and pogroms, and the native Afghan rock. It will take another 20 years probably and 1,500 billion additional dollars, but by God it will be worth it!

People will carp and quibble but I say the war against the Filipinos made no more sense than this, and we didn't give up on that one, either. Stay the course America!