They tried to erase all traces of a rich pre-Islamic past and ordered the destruction of ancient statues ... some of the ancient Buddha sculptures that were destroyed by the Taliban.

while the smaller female Buddha stood around 10 stories tall. (Gallery: See the statues before they were destroyed) The statues had survived the ravages of Mongolian conqueror and warrior Genghis ...

Two giant cavities about a half-mile apart in the rock face mark the sites where two huge sixth-century statues of the Buddha, destroyed a decade ago by the Taliban, stood for 1,500 years.