History Of February 26, 2001, The Unforgivable Archaeological Crime Of The Taliban: Destruction Of Buddha Statues In Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan

Bamiyan Buddha statue in Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan based on a 1973 photo. The statue has now been destroyed by the Taliban, which is called an unforgivable archaeological crime. (Photo: DDP/Deutsche Welle)

JAKARTA - Today 21 years ago, or February 26, 2001 to be exact, two giant Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan were completely destroyed. The Taliban is behind it. The destruction was carried out because the Taliban considered the Buddha statue a source of polytheism.

Even though the statue, which according to carbon dating has existed around the 5th century AD, is the main source of tourism in Afghanistan. The world has condemned the Taliban. Even Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates did not escape their criticism.

The Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley, were first mentioned in the records of a Chinese pilgrim in 400 AD. These statues are evidence of the presence of Buddhist civilization in the heart of the Hindu Kush region.

Panorama of the Bamiyan Valley, where the statues of the Bamiyan Buddha are located. (Photo: Wikipedia)

The Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley were painstakingly carved into the limestone cliffs. Of the two statues, the bigger one is on the west side. It is 55 meters tall and is known as Salsal, which means “light shines through the universe”. While the smaller one on the east side is 38 meters high and is called Shamama, or “Queen Mother”.

A Bamiyan resident named Ghulam Sakhi once told AFP that he deeply regretted the destruction of the statues. Sakhi said she was kidnapped from the market with some of her friends, specifically to help clean up the debris of the Bamiyan Buddha statue.

"It's like a nightmare that's hard to forget. I had to do that because I only thought of a way to stay alive. Before being demolished, many foreign tourists came to admire the Bamiyan Buddha statues," said Sakhi, in an article published by Deustche Welle on March 9, 2021.

Destroyed Using Rockets and Tanks

Without feeling guilty, the Taliban proudly recounted how the Bamiyan Buddha statues were destroyed.

“Our troops are working very hard. They used all available weapons to destroy the statues," a Taliban spokesman said in an official statement quoted by AP.

Rocket fire and tank shells were used to destroy Afghanistan's most valuable archaeological site. Blasting with dynamite was the final step to end the process of destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues.

The Taliban officially announced the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues on March 14, 2021. At that time the archaeological remains were completely gone, except for the caves where the statues took shelter.

The remains of the cave where the Bamiyan Buddha statue once stood. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through its Director General, Irina Bukova on February 25, 2011 issued an official statement regarding their guilt regarding the tragedy of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues, which are one of the world's cultural heritages.

"Ten years ago, we and the rest of the world could only watch helplessly as the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar ordered tanks and heavy artillery to destroy a massive statue carved into the side of a cliff," Buova said.

"It is an example that cultural heritage can fall prey to conflict, political turmoil and all kinds of abuse. Since then we have called on governments, educators and the media to raise awareness of the various international agreements that preserve cultural property and prohibit looting, smuggling and trafficking. dark cultural objects.

The history of the Taliban group as the ruler of Afghanistan was established due to political turmoil when the Soviet Union left Afghanistan in 1989. This Islamic fundamentalist group also grew thanks to funding from the United States (US). Now the battle is going on between the Taliban and the US.

At the beginning of its emergence, the group raised by Mullah Mohammed Omar was considered a savior. In reality, the Taliban regime or the Mujahideen are the same. They are fundamentalist, brutal and anti-women.

It was during the early phase of the Taliban rule (1996 to 2001) that Afghanistan became the only Islamic country that implemented Islamic laws. The Islamic law that he applies makes the Taliban prohibit many things that are contrary to religion, especially things that they think are of minimal benefit, have many disadvantages.

“The Taliban destroyed the Buddha statues and stupas where we played. A historical relic that has existed for thousands of years and has been part of our history since the time of the Kushan kings. According to them, all statues or paintings are haram, sinful, and therefore prohibited,” concluded Malala Yousafzai in the book I am Malala (2014).