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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Bamiyan Buddhas

Bamiyan caves in Afghanistan. Source: trentinness / Adobe Stock.

Bamiyan's Ancient Cave Dwellings Shelter Homeless Afghans (Video)

The caves of Bamiyan, originally carved by Buddhist monks nearly 2,000 years ago, now offer refuge to a significant number of homeless Afghans. These historic caves , nestled within the cliffs of...
Smaller Buddha of Bamiyan, before and after destruction. (Minahatithan / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Twisted Tourism: Taliban Sells Tickets to See the Buddhas They Blew Up

The Taliban are not known as being guardians of history, and for the last 20 years they have embarked on a quest to “honor” the artifacts of antiquity with sledge hammers and bombs. After turning...
Sunrise shows the loss of the larger Bamiyan Buddha statue in the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan.

Could There be a Third Bamiyan Buddha, Hidden for Centuries?

One of the most tragic examples of religious iconoclasm in recent history is the destruction of the two giant standing statues of Buddha by the Taliban in March 2001. These were the famed Buddhas of...