The Bamiyan Region was an ancient Buddhist site in the Hindu Kush Mountains of modern Afghanistan.

The Buddhist kingdom of Kushan was established some time in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. This kingdom benefited from its position along the Silk Road trading route and provided vital trade routes between Rome, India, and China.

The Bamiyan Buddhas were built by Kushan kingdom sometime during the 4th Century AD. The tallest standing Buddha stood 173 ft. (53 m.) tall.

The Kushan kingdom fell to Islam in the 7th century and then the Buddhist statue was destroyed by the Islamic Taliban on March 21, 2001.

These pictures of the standing Buddha were taken before the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, which began on Dec. 27, 1979. Notice the three men sitting on the foot of the statue. This should give you an indication of the actual size of this work of art. The final picture shows a view of the top of the ceiling as seen from one of the compartments within the statue itself. You can see the remnants of some decorative frescos.