Ancient Sleeping Buddha Found in Afghanistan
A team of archaeologists has discovered an ancient 19-meter- long sleeping Buddha statue in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamiyan, an official said Tuesday.
The statue to the third century and was found, almost three thousand years later, by a France-based team of archaeologists led by Zemaryalai Tarzi, an Afghan archaeologist.
In a clear sign of the changes in religious tolerance since the Taliban were forced out of power, an adviser to Afghanistan’s Culture Minister happily shared the news of the discovery with the world.
Besides finding the 19-meter long sleeping statue, the team has also discovered around 90 other relics which include several coins from the Bactrian, Greek and Islamic eras,” he said.
The researchers found the 19-meter statue while they were looking for one of 300-meters. This statue has not been seen by any one in the modern era, but it was described in a book written by a ‘Chinese pilgrim who visited Afghanistan centuries ago.’
Afghanistan was once an important cultural center of the Buddhist world. Large statues were produced and could be seen everywhere. When the Taliban took over control of this country, however, they destroyed every statue they could get their hands on. Letting them stand they believed to be a sin.
The current government, however, is doing its best to uncover its own ancient history and to share it with both Afghans and the rest of the world.
