History of Bamiyan

Bamiyan Afghan Restaurant is was named after a landmark in the Bamiyan province of northern Afghanistan, a place rich in afghan culture and history.

Until their recent destruction, one of the most astounding sites in Afghanistan was at Bamiyan, where two giant standing Buddhas were carved into limestone cliffs at the edge of a small town. At 170 feet tall, the taller of the two was the largest standing Buddha in the world.

Almost all Afghans today are Muslims. But from the first to the sixth century A.D., the country was populated by Buddhists. The statues at Bamiyan were carved by the Kushans, some time between the second and fourth centuries A.D.

The site was a major shrine, attracting Buddhist pilgrims worldwide. Hsuen Tsang, a Chinese poet, traveled in the area and he spoke highly of the devout people who lived there. He said that when he saw the Buddhas, their beauty dazzled his eyes.

In the thirteenth century, the Buddhas suffered a great deal of damage at the hands of the Mongols. Up until the early 1970s, the Afghani government was making major efforts to restore them. This undertaking was neglected during many years of war, and in 2001 the statues were destroyed completely by the Taliban who saw them as a threat to their strict interpretation of Islam.

We hope you will enjoy dining at our restaurant, and keep in your heart a spirit of tolerance and an appreciation of beauty.

View images of Bamiyan here and more images here by photographer Luke Powell.