Places You Can No Longer Go: The Bamiyan Buddhas - Atlas Obscura
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
  • Trips
    • Upcoming Trips
    • All Trips Trips Blog
    Get the Atlas Obscura book
    Shop Now »

    Upcoming Trips

    View All Trips »

    Photographing Chernobyl in Winter

    Wings & Wonders: Birds of New Zealand

    Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure

    Searching for Russia’s Northern Lights

  • Experiences

    Quick Links

    • Online Courses
    • Online Experiences

    Experiences by City

    • Chicago
    • Denver
    • Los Angeles
    • New York
    • Philadelphia
    • Seattle
    • Washington, D.C.

    Upcoming Experiences

    View All Experiences »
    Online
    New York

    Backstage with a Magician

    Online
    New York City

    Tyler Thrasher Wonder Hour: Cave Hunting

    Online
    New York City

    Food, Foraging & Mythology With Felicity Roberts & Lori McCarthy

    Online
    New York City

    The Forged & The Filched: Stealing (From) the Dead

  • Places
    • Top Destinations
    • Newly Added Places
    • Most Popular Places
    • Random Place
    • Lists
    • Itineraries
    • Add a Place
    • Visit Our Forums

    Newly Added Places

    View All Places »
    Hucknall Miners Memorial
    Hucknall, England

    Hucknall Miners Memorial

    53.0375, -1.1994
    Plaque showing the location of the former Trinity Church.
    York, England

    Kings Square Gravestones

    53.9599, -1.0801
    Grotte di Pilato
    Isola di Ponza, Italy

    Grotte di Pilato

    40.8960, 12.9701
    Sutri Amphitheatre
    Sutri, Italy

    Sutri Amphitheatre

    42.2388, 12.2295

    Top Destinations

    View All Destinations »

    Countries

    • Australia
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • India
    • Italy
    • Japan

    Cities

    • Amsterdam
    • Barcelona
    • Beijing
    • Berlin
    • Boston
    • Budapest
    • Chicago
    • London
    • Los Angeles
    • Mexico City
    • Montreal
    • Moscow
    • New Orleans
    • New York City
    • Paris
    • Philadelphia
    • Rome
    • San Francisco
    • Seattle
    • Stockholm
    • Tokyo
    • Toronto
    • Vienna
    • Washington, D.C.
  • Foods

    Newly Added Food & Drink

    View All Food & Drink »
    Sweets

    Bean Pie
    Sweets

    Picarones

     A bowl of chitlins.
    Prepared Foods

    Chitlins
    Prepared Foods

    Hoppin' John

     Are you feeling lucky?
    Ritual & Medicinal

    Twelve Grapes
  • Stories

    Most Recent Stories

    View All Stories »
    TK

    Washington, D.C., and the Quest for a Perfectly Square City

     A Northern Common Cuscus in Indonesia's Gunung Mutis Nature Reserve.

    The Cute Critter Rewriting Our Understanding of Prehistory

     Don't take stuff from Pompeii, or anywhere else. But if you already have, kindly give it back.

    How to Give Stolen Artifacts Back to Historic Sites

     <em>Taishū engeki</em> is usually split into two distinct halves: a play that fuses Edo-period drama in the style of a soap opera, followed by bouts of dancing and music.

    In Japan, ‘Theater for the People’ Makes Fandom a Part of the Show

     The well-preserved wreck lies nearly 300 feet below the surface.

    Found: A Shipwrecked Nazi Steamer, Still Filled With Cargo
  • Videos

    Most Recent Videos

    View All Videos »

    Inside a Domed Pyramid With Astounding Acoustics and a History of Miracles

    4:16

    See the Mysterious Horned Helmet of Henry VIII

    4:00

    Searching for Home and Connection Through Typewritten Poetry

    6:12

    The Female Shark Spotter Protecting Réunion Island’s Surfers

    4:14

    Peek Inside NYC’s Iconic Rubber Stamp Shop

    3:40
  • Sign In Join
  • Sign In
    Join
What's near me?
Brought to you by

Places You Can No Longer Go: The Bamiyan Buddhas

The golden icons survived Genghis Khan, but not, sadly, the Taliban.

by Lucas Adams April 21, 2016
Places You Can No Longer Go: The Bamiyan Buddhas
In This Story
Place

Site of the Bamiyan Buddhas

Once an impressive link to Afghanistan’s Buddhist past, now a sad reminder of intolerance towards other cultures.

Read next

The Politics Behind Presidential Candidates Eating Pizza With a Fork

Maybe just be yourself.
middle eastplaces you can no longer gocolumnswar history
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.
Using an ad blocker?

We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month.

Support Us
Keep Exploring
science fiction

Places You Can No Longer Go: Ray Bradbury's House

The developers who tore down the iconic house called the public response "a bummer."
Lucas Adams September 22, 2016
places you can no longer go

Places You Can No Longer Go: The Floating Church of the Redeemer

It turns out that praying on the water has some serious downsides.
Lucas Adams September 8, 2016
architecture

Places You Can No Longer Go: Hoffman Auto Showroom

Only one car salesman enlisted Frank Lloyd Wright as his designer.
Lucas Adams September 1, 2016
places you can no longer go

Places You Can No Longer Go: The Colony on Cuttyhunk

This 1602 colonizing mission to New England was ridiculed for only lasting three weeks.
Lucas Adams August 25, 2016
Video • AO Docs

How a Border Village Keeps the Memories of Divided Families Alive

7:32
Video

The Many Lives of Oʻahu’s Majestic Koko Crater Trail

4:58
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Related

The Gigantic Nazi City that Was Never Built

Albert Speer designed a truly epic monstrosity that never saw the light of day.
Read more

We Need Your Help

Support Atlas Obscura today so we can share wonder tomorrow.

Become a Member

$50/year $100/year $200/year
See All Membership Options

Get Our Email Newsletter

Thanks for subscribing! View all newsletters »

Follow Us

Places

  • Recently Added
  • Most Popular
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place

Foods

  • Latest
  • Food & Drink
  • Stories
  • Places
  • Add a Food

Trips

  • All Trips
  • Trips Blog
  • Art & Culture Trips
  • Food Trips
  • Hidden City Trips
  • History Trips
  • Photography Trips
  • Wildlife & Nature Trips
  • FAQ

Experiences

  • All Experiences
  • Online Experiences
  • Online Courses
  • FAQ

Community

  • Membership
  • Travel Forum
  • Latest Posts
  • Top Posts

Company

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Work With Us
  • Advertising
  • Unique Gifts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2020 Atlas Obscura. All rights reserved.

Thanks for sharing!

Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook

Want a Free Book?

Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders.
No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com
Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders

Stay in Touch!

Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day.
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com
No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 11/01/2020. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details.

Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.
No Thanks

We'd Like You to Like Us

Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed.
No Thanks
This website uses cookies

Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Please click below to consent to the use of this technology while browsing our site. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our cookie policy.

I Accept
aoc-full-screen aoc-heart-solid aoc-compass aoc-flipboard aoc-globe aoc-pocket aoc-share aoc-cancel aoc-video aoc-building aoc-clock aoc-clipboard aoc-help aoc-arrow-right aoc-arrow-left aoc-ticket aoc-place-entry aoc-facebook aoc-instagram aoc-reddit aoc-rss aoc-twitter aoc-accommodation aoc-activity-level aoc-add-a-photo aoc-add-box aoc-add-shape aoc-arrow-forward aoc-been-here aoc-chat-bubbles aoc-close aoc-expand-more aoc-expand-less aoc-forum-flag aoc-group-size aoc-heart-outline aoc-heart-solid aoc-home aoc-important aoc-knife-fork aoc-library-books aoc-link aoc-list-circle-bullets aoc-list aoc-location-add aoc-location aoc-mail aoc-map aoc-menu aoc-more-horizontal aoc-my-location aoc-near-me aoc-notifications-alert aoc-notifications-mentions aoc-notifications-muted aoc-notifications-tracking aoc-open-in-new aoc-pencil aoc-person aoc-pinned aoc-plane-takeoff aoc-plane aoc-print aoc-reply aoc-search aoc-shuffle aoc-star aoc-subject aoc-trip-style aoc-unpinned aoc-send aoc-phone aoc-apps