Afghanistan was once home to some of the world’s most extraordinary Buddhist monuments. The most famous were the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan, carved directly into the cliffs nearly 1,500 years ago when the region sat along the Silk Road. They stood over 100 and 170 feet tall, serving as symbols of culture, trade, and a blend of civilizations that passed through Central Asia. Although the statues were destroyed in 2001, the caves, frescoes, and carvings around Bamiyan still show how diverse a