This is a view of the surrounding farmlands from within the caves at the "Large Buddha" in Bamyan, Afghanistan.  The famous caves were once inhabited by Buddhist monks who left behind a fascinatingly beautiful legacy of religious frescoes and paintings, which were partially destroyed by the fundamentalist Taliban. The Taliban, extreme religious fundamentalists, destroyed the statues because of an Islamic religious taboo against graven images. Click here to enlarge this image.

Click here to go to the geography and photos page for Afghanistan.