On March 12, 2001, Afghanistan’s Taliban government finished demolishing the Buddhas of Bamiyan—two monumental statues from the 6th century that had overlooked the valley for more than fourteen centuries and testified to its Buddhist past. The destruction Ignoring urgent pleas from UNESCO and countries including Japan and India, Taliban fighters spent several weeks bombarding the figures with artillery and explosives until nothing remained but shattered stone. One statue had risen roughly 38 met