The Bamiyan Buddhas

The Bamiyan Buddhas

The Bamiyan Buddhas are located in the Bamiyan Valley of Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan. They are two of the most significant standing Buddha statues, carved into a cliff in the Bamiyan Valley and most likely created around the 5th to 6th century. These masterpieces are classic examples of Greco-Buddhist art.

The two massive standing Buddha statues include the 37-meter-tall Eastern Great Buddha and the 55-meter-tall Western Great Buddha, making them the largest standing carved Buddha statues in the world. For many years, they served as cultural landmarks, and the site has been listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The main bodies of the statues were carved directly from the sandstone cliff, while finer details were made from a mixture of mud and straw, coated with a layer of plaster. This outer layer was painted to highlight the faces, hands, and folds of the robes, but this plaster has long since eroded away. The lower parts of the statues’ arms were also constructed from the same mud-straw mixture and supported by wooden frameworks. Although the external forms of both great Buddhas have been almost entirely destroyed, their general outlines and some features can still be discerned in the recesses of the cliff. Visitors can still explore the caves once inhabited by monks and the connecting passages between them. The international community is currently assisting in the restoration of the two great Buddhas.

The Bamiyan Buddhas are a classic testament to human creativity, having had a profound impact on the development of architecture, technology, monumental arts, town planning, and landscape design during a certain period or within a particular cultural sphere, and promoting the exchange of human values.

Buddhas of Bamiyan

Must-visit reason: One of the most iconic works of Greco-Buddhist art

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia [Asia]

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Afghanistan [Afghanistan]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Bamyan Province [Bamyan Province]

City where the attraction is located: Bamyan [Bamyan]