Long-Term Preservation of the Physical Remains of the Destroyed Buddha Figures in Bamiyan (Afghanistan) Using Virtual Reality Technologies for Preparation and Evaluation of Restoration Measures

Abstract

ABSTRACT:In March 2001, the world's largest depictions of standing Buddha figures located in Bamiyan (Afghanistan) were destroyed during a campaign of the Taliban leadership against all non-Muslim heritage in the country. Bamiyan and its archaeological remains have been nominated a World Heritage also to commemorate the events of destruction the site has experienced over the centuries. More than fifteen years after the Giant Buddha figures turned into dust, the UNESCO Safeguarding campaign for the preservation of the Bamiyan World Heritage property has made considerable progress. Upon continued request by the local population and the national government, the international community is asked to contribute proposals for the future presentation of the physical remains including the options of reassembling the original fragments. The achievements and backlashes of the UNESCO campaign are discussed and a proposal is given, how virtual technology can contribute to the ongoing discussion regarding the future of the site. At a time when deliberate raids during military conflicts against heritage places have become commonplace, the Bamiyan case has become emblematic and is considered now a key turning point in the heritage community on the question, which roles reconstruction can have especially in the aftermath of conflict situations. It is argued that immersive virtual reality technologies offer the chance to investigate how values attributed to cultural heritage are produced and experienced among different stakeholder groups.

Physical Revitalization of the Eastern Buddha Statue in Bamiyan Using Reinforced Adobe Material

“…4), a 3D digital model of the 38 m Buddha could be generated (Toubekis et al 2011) and serves as basis for the surface calculation. (Toubekis et al 2017). The values for the total volume stay in the same range (~11%), much less of the assumed remains of 40-45% that was claimed so far (ICOMOS, 2016, p. 239).…”

The Renaissance of Bamiyan (Afghanistan) and Some Proposals for the Revitalisation of the Bamiyan Valley

“…Many criteria were used (i, ii, iii, iv and vi), describing the relevance of Gandaharan art in this region, the interchange of diverse religious and cultural traditions, the cultural tradition, the cultural landscape but also the direct and tangible association with a tragic, violent and deliberate destruction of irreplaceable cultural heritage in the twenty-first century A.D. As a consequence, the destruction is part of the OUV, and any physical revitalisation has to bear this in mind. This point was well established since 2003, during the nomination process, since it was very clear that most of original rock was pulverised (89% according to Toubekis et al 2017), due to its low consistency, the vertical variability of rock mechanical parameters and the energy of blasting in a close environment that the niche is. Visibly, a large percentage of such remaining fragments comes from the interior of the statue, and, unfortunately, there is no record of the exterior surface of the statue.…”

“…After the destruction of giant Buddha statues, the scientific community started to investigate how to give back, to Afghanistan and to the Azar local community, a masterpiece of their history and tradition, clearly being aware that only 12% of original surface can be recovered and only 11% of original volume was not decomposed into debris and dust (Toubekis et al 2017).…”

Ar and Vr for Enhancing Museums’ Heritage Through 3d Reconstruction of Fragmented Statue and Architectural Context

“…• Toubekis et al (2017), that showed the use of 3D digital modelling on partially destroyed Buddha figures in Bamiyan, through superposition on a detailed 3D laser recording, and set up an immersive VR experience aimed to become the basis for scientific re-assembly of the original fragments;…”