Massive stone Buddhas carved from a cliff overlooking the
Afghan desert,
Pakistan, in the third and fifth centuries A.D. At 53 meters (175 feet) and 36 meters (120 feet), the statues were the
tallest standing
Buddhas in the world. The
Taleban ordered their
destruction in March
2001 as part of a campaign to destroy
pre-Islamic artifacts considered an assault on
Islam.
source:
cnn.com