Silk Road

Built in the 6th century before Islam had traveled to the central Afghanistan region, the two Buddhas of Bamiyan were famous for their beauty, craftsmanship and of course, size. The taller of the two Buddhas stood at more than 170 feet high, with the second statue at nearly 115 feet. They were once the world’s largest standing Buddhas.

Ruled by a dizzying array of kingdoms and empires over the centuries, the former regional power of Ani is now an eerie, abandoned city of ghosts.