Topics: World News, Travel
Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are charging visitors for tickets to see some of the country's most iconic monuments - despite the fact the group destroyed them years earlier.
For hundreds of years, two monumental 6th-century Buddha statues stood proudly over the city of Bamian; the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan.
The statues were carved into the side of a cliff; the larger named 'Salsal', which means 'the light shines through the universe', and the smaller dubbed 'Shahmama', or 'Queen Mother'.
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They were an incredible sight, but in 2001 the Taliban caused the statues to come crumbling down in an attack orchestrated by then Taliban founder Mohammad Omar.
Omar had declared the Buddhas false gods, prompting fighters to detonated explosives and fire guns at the huge Buddhas.
More than two decades on, current members of the Taliban have admitted the destruction of the Buddhas was a mistake.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Taliban soldier Kheyal Mohammad, 44, commented: "This is the identity of our country. It shouldn’t have been bombed.”
Unfortunately, what's done is done, and the Buddhas are no more. But that hasn't stopped the Taliban from trying to profit off them.
After regaining control in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has set up a ticket office at the foot of where Salsal used to stand.
The office charges visitors to observe the statues, with prices coming in at 58 cents for Afghans and $3.45 for foreigners. There's even an ice cream vendor nearby - though that's also watched by armed guards.
Also in the area is a main hotel, which is fenced off with barbed wire, and paintings depicting the Buddhas before they were destroyed.
In a bid to appeal to more visitors, Saifurrahman Mohammadi, information and culture director for the regional Taliban government, has shared plans for a souvenir market to open nearby.
Atiqullah Azizi, the Taliban’s deputy culture minister, said in an interview more than 1,000 guards have been employed to protect cultural heritage in the country, both by restricting access to certain areas and overseeing ticket sales.
"Bamian and the Buddhas in particular are of great importance to our government, just as they are to the world,” Azizi said.
Not everyone is onboard with the revival of visitors to the Buddhas, though, with Bamian provincial governor Abdullah Sarhadi arguing: “We are Muslims. We should follow the demands of God.”
Sarhadi also stood by the order to destroy the Buddhas, saying it was a 'good decision'.
