The buddhas are seen in Afghanistan "mainly as a way to increase tourism, especially from Japan and China", Marquis said. The Bamiyan valley was put on UNESCO's list of endangered areas in 2003.

Christian Frei's documentary traces the tragic tale of the giant Buddhas of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley, which stood as monumental landmarks for 1,500 years until 2001, when the Taliban declared ...

Around 30,000 Greek bhikkhus had arrived in Anuradhapura from the monasteries of Alasanda (the city of the Yonas, Alexandria in present Afghanistan) according to Geiger’s Mahavamsa (chapter XX1X (39)) ...