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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Emma Graham-Harrison in Bamiyan

Fears over building works at Afghan Buddhas of Bamiyan site

Two boys observe a Taliban conference in front of the ancient and Unesco-protected site of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan.
Two boys observe a Taliban conference in front of the ancient and Unesco-protected site of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. Photograph: Nanna Muus Steffensen/The Guardian

The Taliban have launched construction work on a tourism complex just metres from the cliff that held the Bamiyan Buddha statues, which archeologists and experts warn could cause permanent damage to the sensitive world heritage site.

The project aims to “rebuild” a historic bazaar, which was destroyed in the civil war of the 1990s. Under the Taliban blueprint, the area will become a tourism centre with restaurants, guesthouses, parking, public toilets and handicraft and grocery shops.

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