Brief synthesis
Enclosed between the high mountains of the Hindu Kush in the central
highlands of Afghanistan, the Bamiyan Valley opens out into a large
basin bordered to the north by a long, high stretch of rocky cliffs. The
Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley
comprise a serial property consisting of eight separate sites within the
Valley and its tributaries. Carved into the Bamiyan Cliffs are
the two niches of the giant Buddha statues (55m and 38m high) destroyed
by the Taliban in 2001, and numerous caves forming a large ensemble of
Buddhist monasteries, chapels and sanctuaries along the foothills of the
valley dating from the 3rd to the 5th century C.E. In several of the
caves and niches, often linked by galleries, there are remains of wall
paintings and seated Buddha figures. In the valleys of the Bamiyan's
tributaries are further groups of caves including the Kakrak Valley Caves,
some 3km south-east of the Bamiyan Cliffs where among the more than one
hundred caves dating from the 6th to 13th centuries are fragments of a
10m tall standing Buddha figure and a sanctuary with painted decorations
from the Sasanian period. Along the Fuladi valley around 2km southwest
of the Bamiyan Cliffs are the caves of Qoul-i Akram and Lalai Ghami, also containing decorative features.
Punctuating the centre of the valley basin to the south of the great cliff are the remains of the fortress of Shahr-i Ghulghulah.
Dating from the 6th to 10th centuries CE, this marks the original
settlement of Bamiyan as stopping place on the branch of the Silk Route,
which linked China and India via ancient Bactria. Further to the east
along the Bamiyan Valley are the remains of fortification walls and
settlements, dating from the 6th to 8th centuries at Qallai Kaphari A and B and further east still (around 15km east of the Bamiyan Cliffs) at Shahr-i Zuhak,
where the earlier remains are overlaid by developments of the 10th to
13th centuries under the rule of the Islamic Ghaznavid and Ghorid
dynasties.
The Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan
Valley represent the artistic and religious developments which from the
1st to the 13th centuries characterised ancient Bactria, integrating
various cultural influences into the Gandharan school of Buddhist art.
The numerous Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries, as well as
fortified structures from the Islamic period, testify to the interchange
of Indian, Hellenistic, Roman, Sasanian and Islamic influences. The
site is also testimony to recurring reactions to iconic art, the most
recent being the internationally condemned deliberate destruction of the
two standing Buddha statues in March 2001.
Criterion (i): The Buddha statues and the cave art
in Bamiyan Valley are an outstanding representation of the Gandharan
school in Buddhist art in the Central Asian region.
Criterion (ii):The artistic and architectural
remains of Bamiyan Valley, an important Buddhist centre on the Silk
Road, are an exceptional testimony to the interchange of Indian,
Hellenistic, Roman and Sasanian influences as the basis for the
development of a particular artistic expression in the Gandharan school.
To this can be added the Islamic influence in a later period.
Criterion (iii):The Bamiyan Valley bears an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition in the Central Asian region, which has disappeared.
Criterion (iv): The Bamiyan Valley is an outstanding example of a cultural landscape which illustrates a significant period in Buddhism.
Criterion (vi): The Bamiyan Valley is the most
monumental expression of the western Buddhism. It was an important
centre of pilgrimage over many centuries. Due to their symbolic values,
the monuments have suffered at different times of their existence,
including the deliberate destruction in 2001, which shook the whole
world.
Integrity (2011)
The heritage resources in Bamiyan Valley have suffered from various
disasters and some parts are in a fragile state. A major loss to the
integrity of the site was the destruction of the large Buddha statues in
2001. However, a significant proportion of all the attributes that
express the Outstanding Universal Value of the site, such as Buddhist
and Islamic architectural forms and their setting in the Bamiyan
landscape, remain intact at all 8 sites within the boundaries, including
the vast Buddhist monastery in the Bamiyan Cliffs which contained the
two colossal sculptures of the Buddha.
Authenticity (2003)
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan
Valley continue to testify to the different cultural phases of its
history. Seen as a cultural landscape, the Bamiyan Valley, with its
artistic and architectural remains, the traditional land use and the
simple mud brick constructions continues to express its Outstanding
Universal Value in terms of form and materials, location and setting,
but may be vulnerable in the face of development and requires careful
conservation and management.
Protection and management requirements (2011)
The monuments and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley are
public property, owned by the State of Afghanistan. However, large parts
of the buffer zone are in private ownership. Many documents defining
the ownership were destroyed during the decades of conflict and civil
unrest, and are now being re-established. The State Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Properties (Ministry of Justice, May 21st 2004)is in force and provides the basis for financial and technical resources.
The management of the serial property is under the authority of the
Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) and its relevant departments
(Institute of Archaeology and the Department for the Preservation of
Historical Monuments), as well as the Governor of the Bamiyan Province.
The Ministry of Information and Culture has a provincial local office
representative in Bamiyan. There are 8 guards specifically protecting
the site against vandalism and looting, with additional resources
provided by the Ministry of Interior in the form of a dedicated police
contingent for the protection of cultural property (Police unit 012).
At present, the management system is provisional with help from the
international community for the appropriate administrative, scientific
and technical resources. Since 2003, UNESCO has been leading a
three-phase safe-guarding plan for the property. Its focus has been to
consolidate the Buddha niches, to safeguard the artefacts that survived
the destruction of the Buddha statues and to render the site safe,
notably by pursuing the complex de-mining operations at the site. A
Management Plan for the property is under preparation with the objective
to prepare and implement a programme for the protection, conservation
and presentation of the Bamiyan Valley, to undertake exploration and
excavation of the archaeological remains, and to prepare and implement a
programme for sustainable cultural tourism in the Valley. The Governor
of the Province is responsible for the implementation of a regional
development plan, which includes rehabilitation of housing, provision of
health and educational services, and development of infrastructure and
agriculture.
In March 2011, it was concluded by Afghan officials and international
experts at a meeting of the 9th Bamiyan Expert Working Group hosted by
UNESCO that the World Heritage site is potentially ready to be removed
from the List of World Heritage in Danger by 2013, pending continued
progress in addressing security risks, the structural stability of the
remains of the two giant Buddha sculptures and their niches, the
conservation of the archaeological remains and mural paintings and
implementation of the Management Plan.
Long Description
The Bamiyan Valley lies some 264 km by road west of Kabul,
enclosed within the high mountains of the Hindu Kush, in the central
highlands of Afghanistan. The valley, at an altitude of 2,500 m, follows
the Bamiyan River. It formed one of the branches of the Silk Road and
its beautiful landscape is associated with legendary figures. It was
these aspects that contributed to its development as a major religious
and cultural centre. It was inhabited and partly urbanized from the 3rd
century BC.
The nominated site consists of eight separate core zones, each with its buffer zone:
- The Bamiyan Cliffs on the north side of the valley include the two colossal niches that contained the large standing Buddha figures.
- The Kakrak Valley caves, some 3 km south-east of the Bamiyan cliffs, date from the 6th to 13th centuries. • The two main important groups of the Fuladi Valley caves are the Qoul-i Akram and Kalai Ghamai caves, which have important decorative features.
- Shahr-i Zuhak and Qallai Kaphari consist of fortification walls, towers, and citadels of earthen structures dating from the 6th to 8th centuries.
- Shahr-i Ghulghulah is a fortified citadel situated on a hill in the centre of the valley and dates from the 6th to 10th centuries AD.
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan
Valley represent the artistic and religious developments which from the
1st to the 13th centuries characterized ancient Bactria, integrating
various cultural influences into the Gandhara school of Buddhist art.
The area contains numerous Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries,
as well as fortified structures from the Islamic period. The site is
also testimony to the tragic destruction by the Taliban of the two
standing Buddha statues, which shook the world in March 2001.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC
Historical Description
Afghanistan was the ancient Bactria, one of the provinces of the
Persian Empire under the Achaemenids. The region was then ruled by
Alexander the Great, the Seleucid dynasty, and the Maurya dynasty of
northern India. The Kushans, a group of nomadic tribes, ruled from the
2nd century BCE, reaching the climax in the 2nd cent. CE. The Sasanians
controlled Afghanistan from the mid-3rd century, Central Asian nomads
ruled in the 5th century; a coalition of Sasanians and Western Turks
took the power in mid-6th century. The Silk Roads passed through
Afghanistan, and contributed to the diffusion of Buddhism from India in
this region in the 1st century CE. The Kushans were patrons of the arts
and religion, and were responsible for the introduction of Buddhist art
in the Bactrian style, which was influenced by Hellenistic art, and the
Sasanians.
Islamic art and architecture were introduced to Bamiyan in the 11th
century CE, when the central part of Afghanistan was under the rule of
Sultan Mahmud of Chazna (998- 1030). The town of Bamiyan was designed on
the model of the Khorassan region of Iran. Under the rule of the
Ghurids (1155-1212) the development included the fortified settlements
of Shahr-i Bamiyan (later Ghulghulah), Shahr-i Zuhak and Shahr-i
Khoshak. The army of Genghis Khan ruined the town of Bamiyan and looted
the Buddhist monasteries in the early 13th century. The Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb (1618-1707) ordered his army to shoot off the legs of the
large Buddha. The valley was abandoned for a long period, but at the end
of the 19th century, the caves were inhabited and used as shelters for
domestic animals. In 1979, there were over 7,000 inhabitants in the
Bamiyan town. From the 1970s, the area was used by the military. In the
1990s, it was exposed to armed conflicts. In 2001, the large Buddha
statues were destroyed by the Taliban.
Source: Advisory Body Evaluation
