Archaeologists unearth Buddha statue's head in Afghanistan
30 Aug 2008, 1244 Hrs

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Islamabad, August 30 (ANI): French and Afghan archaeologists have unearthed the head of a Buddha statue and a precious coin in the province of Bamiyan in Afghanistan.

The statue's head belongs to the period when Buddhism thrived in the central province and the coin dates back to the time of Alexander and the Greek empire, according to Najeebullah Ahrar, the director of the information and culture department in the province.

According to a report in Pak Tribune, the team of Afghan and French archaeologists is working under the supervision of Professor Zemaryalai Tarzi, an Afghan archaeologist.

Bamiyan hit world headlines in 2001 when the Taliban destroyed the enormous Buddha statues that for centuries stood in carved niches in the cliff faces around the main town.

The town of Bamiyan is situated on the old Silk Road and became a meeting point of eastern and western cultures.

Buddhism arrived in Bamiyan in the third century with the spread of the Kushan Empire. (ANI)