Taliban Reportedly Digging for Ancient Treasure Under UNESCO Site They Destroyed in 2001

The Taliban* shocked and horrified archeologists and historians the world over in 2001 when they demolished the Buddhas of Bamiyan, a pair of monumental statues dating back to the 6th century AD. Now, what remains of the UNESCO World Heritage Site has reportedly come under renewed threat.

Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi, the recently-appointed Taliban governor of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, has reportedly closed off the area surrounding the remnants of the Buddhas of Bamiyan to tourists and set up a dig in search of mythical treasures rumoured to be buried there.

Local residents have informed the art market newswire Artnet News that the archaeological site – previously accessible to visitors for $5 a pop, has been closed off since mid-January, with Sarhadi reportedly ignoring orders from Taliban authorities in Kabul to stop digging.

Hamid Naweed, a local art historian, told the outlet that Sarhadi may be looking for ancient gold treasure like the kind found in the tombs of Tillya Tepe in the late 1970s.

“According to the rumour, there was possibly a princess that was buried in Bamiyan with all of her jewellery, but it has not been confirmed by any archaeologist,” Naweed, a former professor at Kabul University and specialist on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, said.

Naweed is confident that the treasure-hunters will come up empty. “We have no idea who put this idea of buried treasure in the mind of the governor, but he does not have the right nor the archaeological knowledge on his own and in a very unprofessional manner to do excavations in a place that is under the cover of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site,” the art historian said.

FILE - In this June 17, 2009 file photo, two women walk past the cliffs that once held giant Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan

© AP Photo / Rahmat Gul

Digging is said to be taking place at two locations – under the remnants of the 55 meter Western Buddha, and in tombs nearby. Local media have also issued conflicting reports about the workers doing the digging, with some saying they may not be Afghanis at all, but rather Pakistani nationals allowed onto the site.

Governor Sarhadi is a senior Taliban figure in Bamiyan province, with his authority stretching back to the first reign of the militant group over Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when he served as a commander of Taliban special forces. Sarhadi was detained at the illegal US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba between 2006 and 2012, and released despite suspicions of engaging in war crimes. He was appointed governor of Bamiyan province in November 2021.

Since that time, media have reported on the vandalism of the site, posting footage of Taliban fighters who are supposed to protect the site instead using the remains of the UNESCO site as target practice.

#Taliban fighters shooting at remnants of buddha sculptures they blew up two decades ago in 2001. #Afghanistan
video via EtilaatRoz pic.twitter.com/2mRyPB8l4H

— Sharif Hassan (@MSharif1990) November 1, 2021

Naweed and other Afghan scholars have penned letters to UNESCO urging them to take action to stop the further plunder of the ruins of the irreplaceable archaeological site.

The Taliban’s local information and culture directorate has assured that all digging in and around the sites has been halted, with the historical sites “under control” and “protected”. However, other reports suggest that Taliban officials from Kabul have been denied access to the area.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were destroyed by the Taliban in March of 2001, who saw them as “idols” and the “gods of infidels”. Their destruction left only the cavities where the monumental statues, built between the 6th and 7th centuries CE, once stood. Their destruction sparked international condemnation.

* An organisation under United Nations sanctions for terrorist activities.