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Swiss scientists aim to rebuild giant Afghan Buddha

Swiss-based scientists have created a model of a huge Buddha statue destroyed by the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan and said they hope it will be used to rebuild the ancient figure.

The team used 30-year-old photographs and special software to build the three-dimensional model, which represents the larger of two standing Buddhas the hardline Islamic group blew up with dynamite in March 2001.

International outcry followed the destruction of the giant Buddhas, which were chiseled into the cliff more than 1,500 years ago in Bamiyan valley on the ancient Silk Route linking Europe and Central Asia.

The fundamentalist Taliban considered them "idolatrous" and against the tenets of Islam.

The larger Buddha was 53m high. The team is now working on mapping the other statue, which was about 38m tall and stood about a kilometer away, said Professor Armin Gruen, a member of the team based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

"This is a beautiful area, and it could develop into a major tourist attraction if the Buddhas could be put back in place," Gruen said on Wednesday.

Rebuilding the Buddhas at their original location would cost around US$30 million each, he said. Most likely, the recreation would be made of concrete covered with plaster.

Gruen stressed that the money for the project should be independent of aid for rebuilding infrastructure in Afghanistan.

"We believe there are enough private people in the world that have strong ties to Buddhism who would be prepared to donate the money if they had the approval of UNESCO," he said.
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