By: Sophie Tian

22 years ago, the Taliban blew up two Buddha figures in Bamian, Afghanistan. Taliban founder Mohammad Omar declared the Buddhas false gods and mercilessly destroyed the ancient monuments. But now, the Taliban are turning around and selling tickets to the Buddha ruins for profit.

Three Taliban soldiers believe that the people who destroyed the Buddhas decades ago were careless. They want the figures rebuilt. One soldier, Kheyal Mohammad, said, “This is the identity of our country. It shouldn’t have been bombed.”

Now Taliban officials want to attract tourists to the ruins. They see the site as potentially profitable due to the Bamian and the Buddhas’ cultural importance.

Not all members of the Taliban agree, however. Some still see the Buddha artifacts as blasphemous and support their destruction. “We are Muslims. We should follow the demands of God,” said Bamian provincial governor and Taliban member Abdullah Sarhadi.

This new project might also provide hope. Bamian is one of the least developed and poorest cities in the world, and its economy continues to deteriorate. Saifurrahman Mohammadi, Taliban information and culture director, thinks that tourism could “massively” improve peoples’ lives by providing a source of income.

Unfortunately, business has been slow. Many Afghans are wary and still haven’t forgiven the Taliban for atrocities committed against minority groups like the Hazaras. Shops were once bustling with customers buying colorful Afghan dresses and Buddha rugs, but business has halved since the Taliban took over.

“The shop won’t survive if things continue as they are,” said a teenage girl who runs a souvenir shop in Bamian. She asked to stay anonymous. “I’m scared. There is no good future here.”

The Buddhas mostly attract two types of visitors: Taliban soldiers and educated Afghans. The latter visit because they’re angry at the Taliban and skeptical about their mindset towards the figures. One tourist said, “They are professionals at destroying things, not rebuilding them.”

Drawing foreign tourists remains a challenge. British businessman Marc Leaderman used to conduct tours in Bamian, but now he says that neither he nor his customers are interested.

There’s also been very little archaeological work done in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return in 2021. Groups that left because of the Taliban still haven’t returned, leaving their archaeological work unfinished. UNESCO, for example, postponed its project in Bamian indefinitely.

Philippe Marquis, a French Archaeologist, said the Taliban “have understood that destroying archaeological sites or historical buildings is not going to gain their support. But the fact is that they are totally lacking capacity and expertise. And they’re the first ones to acknowledge it.”

Afghanistan still has “a huge amount to offer, there is just not a lot of joy in the country at the moment,” said Leaderman.