The World Briefly

June 19, 2023

Sliding-Scale Morality

Afghanistan

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The Taliban will start selling tickets to visit the site of an ancient monument the militant group blew up more than 20 years ago, a move seen as an attempt to shore up finances in the cash-strapped country, Insider reported.

The new tickets will allow tourists – both local and foreign – to visit the remains of the Bamiyan Buddhas in the Hazarajat region. Locals will pay around 57 US cents, while foreigners will be charged around $3.45.

Built around the sixth century CE, the monument consisted of two large Buddha statues standing around 120 and 180 feet high. The Bamiyan Buddhas had been a major tourist attraction in Afghanistan, but political instability and the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s raised concerns for the monuments and much of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage.

In 2001, the Taliban destroyed them using anti-aircraft guns and explosives after decreeing the two Buddhas to be false gods and violating the tenets of Islam, according to the Washington Post. The Buddhas’ destruction quickly prompted international criticism, including from friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

That year, the United States-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power. The group regained control of the country in 2021 following the withdrawal of foreign troops.

Despite the instability, tourism to Bamiyan has continued even after the statues’ destruction: In 2022, around 200,000 people visited the site.

The recent efforts by the Taliban come as Afghanistan’s finances have plummeted, causing what one United Nations official described as “an economic contraction that we’ve never seen before, ever.”

Many locals and officials hope that the sites can still attract tourists and lead to more investment in the poor Central Asian nation.

This story originally appeared in the June 19, 2023 newsletter, Hot Stuff.