Fragments, graffiti and a hologram are all that remain of the giant Bamiyan Buddha

In March 2001, the Taliban destroyed two giant statues which were thought to be the two biggest standing Buddhas on the planet. The statues, built over perhaps a century from 550 A.D., were just the most prominent parts of a complex of hundreds of caves, monasteries and shrines. Since then hundreds of people have further defaced the site  carving their initials into a domed chamber inside the cliff where the Bamiyan Buddhas stood for 1500 years.
Most archaeologists oppose restoration, arguing that the damage was too great and that the cost would be prohibitive. Estimates range from $30 million for one Buddha to $1.2 billion for the whole complex.
A wealthy Chinese couple has financed the creation of a huge 3D light projection of an artist’s view of what the larger Buddha, known as Solsol to locals, might have looked like in his prime.



But Bamiyan has no city power supply, other than fields of low-capacity solar panels. The 3D-image projector requires its own diesel generator which is only brought out on special occasions.

More about the site: The New York Times