The remnants of Buddha statues that were destroyed during the rule of former Taliban leader Mullah Omar have been transformed into a tourist attraction.
Reportedly, the Buddha statues, constructed on mountains in the 6th century, were demolished using explosives in 2001, leaving only empty spaces where the statues once stood.
The Afghan Taliban government has now opened the remains of the Buddha in Bamiyan for tourism.
Atiqullah Azizi, the Taliban’s deputy culture minister, emphasizes the significance of Bamiyan and the Buddha to the Afghan government, stating that over 1,000 guards have been deployed nationwide to safeguard cultural heritage.
Last month, a portion of Buddha’s artifacts was also unveiled at the Kabul Museum.
It should be noted that since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, and formed an interim government, tourism in Afghanistan has started to resume.
Previously, the Taliban had also unearthed the personal car of former emir Mullah Omar, which had been hidden underground for several years.
According to media reports, Mullah Omar’s buried car was excavated in Afghanistan’s Zabul province. The Taliban had hidden Mullah Omar’s personal vehicle underground following the US invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11.
Taliban spokesman Qari Ahmad Yusuf stated that the vehicle is a Corona wagon known as ‘Ghavagai’ in Afghanistan.
