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Erected in the 3rd and 5th centuries, the two Buddhas of Bamiyan were not only among the world's largest Buddhist statues, but also among the oldest. In strict Islamic terms, however, the statues were viewed as idolatrous, at least that was the excuse given by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the reclusive leader of the Taliban who ordered the destruction of these and all other similar images in Afghanistan. This was in direct contradiction to his own decree, made three years earlier, to protect them on the grounds of their historical value. Nevertheless, in March 2001, both statues were reduced to dust and rubble. NHK succeeded in interviewing several principal Taliban about the destruction. As it turned out, Osama Bin Laden, head of the much feared Al Qaeda, may have had a hand in the ancient statues' demise. But why?

Japan - 2003 - 52 mn - HD DV - Colour

Director Takagi Toru Camera Seido Sakamoto Sound Masahiro Shinohara Editing Yoshinori Miyagi, Kazufumi Shimizu

Production NHK Japan Broadcasting Corp, 2-2-1 Jinnan, Shibuya-Ku, 150-8001 Tokyo, Japon Tél : +81 3 5455 4279 Fax : +81 3 3481 1453 E-mail : koike.f-ge@nhk.or.jp

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