Historic footage of Bamiyan statues

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A sequence on the Bamiyan statues from "Adventure in Afghanistan" from Hal, Halla and David Linker's television travelogue series, "The Wild, the Weird, and the Wonderful", circa 1973. The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003; it is noted as being a World Heritage Site in Danger. The film clip is from the Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution collection of historical moving images.

Channel: Travel & Events
Uploaded: January 25, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Author: HSFAFilmClips

Length: 00:04:33
Rating: 4.89
Views: 14449

Tags: Bamiyan Bamian Bamyan Bamayan Afghanistan Buddha statues cave statue Buddhist yurt mural HSFA archival UNESCO historic

Video Comments:
bitherwack (August 13, 2008 at 4:27 pm)
All of the Buddhists I know see the statues as a way to focus their attention, not as an object of worship. I've often felt that the Cross for many Christians that I know has been more of an object associated with special properties, and worthy of respect to the point that I wondered whether it wasn't these Christians who weren't more idolatrous.
hedayat (August 9, 2008 at 9:16 pm)
afghanistan was a toerist destination,
look what you what they ahve done to it now...
always the foreigners that dont want us to live in peace i wonder why
wasdx4lyfe (July 31, 2008 at 10:12 am)
hes not about a way of life where did you ever hear about that he has teachings in his life experiences he never wanted a religon to happen his most closest disciples created their own versions of his experiences split off made there own sects people make statues of him out of respect no1 is suppose to pray to them
baetores (May 26, 2008 at 11:53 pm)
@Listman11
"You must look beyond the statues. The site was deen holy by the monks who lived there and therfore, it must be respected."

Seems like I hear a catholic talking
maxelldemon (May 24, 2008 at 9:57 am)
ok lets destroy all the great statues of the Lord Buddha (and all other religious statues)and then what?will that make people more religious?Those statues represnted Buddhism even after thousands of years and if one can't think beyond the statue its one's problem.Not the statu's nor of those who built it.
Listman11 (March 31, 2008 at 4:05 am)
You must look beyond the statues. The site was deen holy by the monks who lived there and therfore, it must be respected.
wasdx4lyfe (July 31, 2008 at 10:13 am)
no thats not the point india had made the statues in afganistan
bitherwack (August 13, 2008 at 4:35 pm)
It wasn't Afghanistan when they built it. It was part of the Buddhist kingdom of the Kushanids. Those statues had been around for about 700 years before the 12th century when it was taken over by a different tribe.
Fahim420 (August 17, 2008 at 5:38 am)
what r u talking about????? idia only was helping to rebuild them with the afghan government, the buddhas were build 1700 years ago by the budists, Afghanistan was budist before muslims
Ferdos200 (August 17, 2008 at 5:49 am)
lol what are u talking about, u gotta know what u r talking about when u t commenting on stuff like that. buddas were built in afghanistan 1700 years ago, they were built by the budist Afghans, part of Afghanistan was budist and at the time u see these photages, India was only helping Afghanistan to keep the buddhas alive by rebuilding them