From the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas to the restoration of the Jam Minaret; what change has the Taliban made?

🔸The restoration of Afghanistan’s most famous minaret, according to experts, is the latest sign of the Taliban’s changing approach to cultural heritage, and it shows that the country’s current rulers, unlike the Taliban of the 1990s who destroyed statues and historical artifacts, are acting more deliberately in this area.

🔸In February 2001, Taliban leaders issued an order to destroy non-Islamic statues and shrines in Afghanistan. The most well-known example of carrying out this order was the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues.

🔸Shortly after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Julion Lesley, a British architect, was present at a gathering at the Kabul Museum. He later said that one of the Taliban officials had implicitly expressed regret over the destruction in 2001.

🔸Guil Stein, a professor of archaeology, says the Taliban’s strict policy toward women differs from the group’s approach to cultural heritage; policies related to cultural heritage are more complex and change across different regions depending on their distance from Kabul.

🔸You can read the full report on the Radio Farda website.