CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Explanation: ‘Mes Aynak site’ and ‘Buddhas of Bamiyan’ are located in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has announced that it would protect the ancient Buddha statues in Mes Aynak.

Detailed explanation-2: -Bamiyan, also spelled Bāmīān or Bāmyān, town located in central Afghanistan. It lies about 80 miles (130 km) northwest of Kabul, the country’s capital, in the Bamiyan valley, at an elevation of 8,495 feet (2,590 metres).

Detailed explanation-3: -BAMIYAN, Afghanistan - The Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in early 2001 shocked the world and highlighted their hard-line regime, toppled soon after in a U.S.-led invasion.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 2008, Bamyan was found to be the home of the world’s oldest oil paintings. At the end of the 10th century, there was a Buddhist culture in which several thousand Buddhist monks lived in caves carved into the mountain.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Buddhas, testimony to an ancient community of monks that lived in caves within the cliffs, symbolize the cultural richness of this national heritage. The Taliban’s destruction of these statues serves as only another testament to their disregard for the true Afghanistan.