In Afghanistan, Taliban officials are calling for the preservation of the country's pre-Islamic heritage two decades after the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. But skepticism remains about the Taliban's efforts as Afghanistan's intangible heritage — its music, dance and diversity — remain restricted.
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00:00Once condemned as symbols of idolatry, Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist relics are now being showcased
00:06by the very regime that had vowed to destroy them.
00:10In March 2001, the Taliban shocked the world by blowing up the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the
00:16two statues that had stood in the valley of Bamiyan for almost 1,500 years.
00:21It was part of a wider push to destroy all statues depicting humans in the country.
00:26Two decades later, the Taliban now says they are defenders of the past.
00:32There were three statues among these artifacts, and these three statues are pre-Islamic.
00:38And they are professionally and properly being protected in our depot with other artifacts
00:43so that they are not destroyed.
00:46After the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban swiftly regained
00:52control of the country nearly two decades after their first regime ended.
00:58Since then, they made a surprising shift, publicly embracing the preservation of the same pre-Islamic
01:03sites they once sought to erase.
01:06Whether it's from the Buddhist era, Islamic era or any era, its artistic value and historical
01:14precedent is important to us.
01:17At sites like Shivaki, where Buddhist shrines known as stupas date back over a millennium,
01:23locals say history is being quietly preserved under Taliban rule.
01:27What our ancestors told us is that in ancient times, people mostly lived on hilltops and mountains
01:35due to the abundance of water.
01:37The history of these stupas goes back 1,700 years.
01:41In Kabul, relics of Mes Aynak and ancient Buddhist site are now on display in the National Museum
01:48the Taliban once ransacked.
01:50Now officials call preservation a duty.
01:54A lot of work has been done to protect the cultural heritage with the arrival of the Islamic
02:00Emirate of Afghanistan.
02:02The Islamic Emirate has paid a lot of attention.
02:05But skepticism lingers.
02:07While statues are now protected, Afghanistan's intangible heritage, its music, dance and diversity
02:14remain restricted.
02:16And the world hasn't forgotten the Bamiyan Buddhas.
02:19Neither it seems have the Taliban.
02:22Chris Ma and Adelbrar for Taiwan Plus.