CIA/ISI's Taliban blew up Bamiyan Buddhas

(The Liberator) They blew up Buddha statues...and proved Buddhism right

• ISI: Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan
• CIA: Central Intelligence Agency (multinational, mostly serving Israel while stationed in USA)
• Buddhas of Bamiyan
• Buddhism in Afghanistan
• Buddhism in Central Asia
• The Scythians (or Sakas)

Inside Afghanistan in 2025 (video)

Inside Afghanistan in 2025 (the world's most dangerous country)

(Matt and Julia) Summer, 2025: AFGHANISTAN, Central Asia. Afghanistan, a country we have all heard of for all the wrong reasons.

For the first time in over 40 years, formerly Buddhist Afghanistan is at peace (particularly in holy Bamiyan). However, under Taliban rule, it remains highly controversial, with human rights, especially of women, being eroded every day.

We decided to solo travel to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in 2025 to try understand what life is really like inside a country we all hear so much about on the news but often understand so little of. #Afghanistan

(Matt and Julia) An American and other Westerners in Central Asia

Afghanistan is a nation with a rich culture, history, and heritage. It is a proud country that has defeated every empire that passed through its land, from the Brits (English) to the Soviets (Russians), to the Yanks (Americans) [and soon the Chinese]. But what is life really like right now?

Join us as we travel solo overland from Pakistan, towards Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and try to understand more about this flawed and often misunderstood sovereign state. Welcome to Afghanistan and daily life under Taliban control.

Crossing Badlands of rural Afghanistan (hostile) - Westerner drops into Kabul with camera

► We use Holafly E-sim's when travelling. Get a unique discount with the code MATTANDJULIA - holafly.sjv.io/yqRMAy ► Learn Russian with us: mattandjulia.co.uk/shop ► Our Travel Guides: mattandjulia.co.uk/shop ► Join us on a Group Tour: humankindexpeditions.com ► Support channel: mattandjulia ► Follow on Instagram: matt.and.julia.

Contact: ► For sponsorship opportunities: sponsorships@mattandjulia.co.uk ► For any other business enquires: business@mattandjulia.co.uk #kabul #travelvlog #travel #middleeast #life. How this content was made: Auto-dubbed audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more.

• Matt and Julia, June 20, 2025; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhist Bamiyan, Afghanistan, today

Will the Taliban bring the Buddhas of Bamiyan back to formerly Buddhist Afghanistan?

[CIA-ISI's] Taliban destroyed a 2,000-year-old wonder of Afghanistan 🇦🇫

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Note big man near right foot.

(Matt Shoe) Sept. 13, 2025: ⚠️ [Lithuanian Matt Shoe hits the road in Central Asia , ancient Gandhara, where the Buddha was born, Saka Land or Kapilavastu, for an adventure.] I begin my journey in front of the legendary Buddha statues of Bamiyan, Afghanistan — the ones destroyed by the [CIA and ISI-created] Taliban in 2001.

I break down the real story behind the destruction, separating myth from truth, and explaining how political motives — not religious extremism — led to the tragic demolition of these ancient marvels [which Madame Blavatsky claimed were far older than two millennia].

How to eat in Muslim Afghanistan

(Matt Shoe) 24 Hours of Eating in Afghanistan 🏳️🇦🇫, gluten, dead meat

Matt Shoe — Travel Content Creator

🕳️ Then, I venture deep into the surrounding Buddhist monastic caves carved into the Bamiyan cliffs — ancient Buddhist monasteries (viharas) — guided by a group of curious local Afghan kids.

The history etched into these walls is as haunting as it is beautiful. [This is the site of the world's oldest oil paintings.] 📜 I then reveal a lesser-known truth: The Taliban is actually considering rebuilding the Bamiyan Buddhas. Is it be a shift in ideology or a strategic political move?

🍽️ From there, I head into the town of Bamiyan to explore local Afghan cuisine — sampling some must-try dishes that reflect the heart of the Hazara culture.

American guy pulls up in American muscle car like Billie Eilish's on his way to go camping.

Where Siddhartha swam? Bamiyan Province

💦 The journey continues to [the Himalayan lakes of the Hindu Kush near Bamiyan called] Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s first national park — a surreal set of turquoise lakes surrounded by towering cliffs.

Around the world in a purple muscle car?

Here, I meet Keith, an adventurous soul driving a purple American muscle car around the world. We join forces and go camping together in the Afghan wilderness.

(Sinclairs Search) Crossing Kazakhstan Desert in a muscle car

The Buddha's from Bamiyan

⚔️ In a twist few would expect, we encounter the legendary Taliban — not in conflict, but in conversation. They show us their weapons, speak openly about Islam, and offer insight into their worldview. It’s a raw, complex moment that challenges many stereotypes and headlines.

🏳️ Sinclairs (Keith the Muscle Car Guy) YouTube: ‪@sinclairs_search. Sinclairs Instagram: @sinclaires_search. My e-Books: Guides: mattshoe.travel/guides. Follow: Instagram: themattshoe. Facebook: mattshoeyoutube. TikTok: mattshoetravel. Business enquires: contact@mattshoe.travel.

• Matt Shoe, Sept. 13, 2025, and Keith (Sinclairs Search); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

History of Afghan Bamiyan Buddhas

Westerners visit Afghanistan, marvel at its ancient Buddhist past (Morse Collection/Gado/Getty)

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The History of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas

Redhaired giants surviving in nearby Kandahar

The two colossal Bamiyan Buddhas stood as arguably the most important archeological site in Afghanistan for well over 1,000 years. They were the largest standing Buddha figures in the world.

Then, in a matter of days in the spring of 2001, members of the Taliban [urged on by the CIA and Pakistan's ISI] destroyed the images carved into a cliff face in the Bamiyan Valley. What comes next for Bamiyan?

• Buddhism in Afghanistan (Gandhara)

Big man stands at foot of statue

The smaller Buddha stood about 125 feet (38 meters) tall. It is thought to have been carved from the mountainside around 550 CE, according to radiocarbon dating [of organic matter, which seems very unreliable and based on the assumption that any portion of it is when it was all built].

To the east, the larger Buddha stood some 180 feet (55 meters) high, and was [thought to have been] carved a bit later, likely around 615 CE.

Each Buddha stood in a niche, attached to the back wall along their robes, but with free-standing feet and legs so pilgrims could circumambulate them.

Gandhara Greco-Buddhist art

The stone cores of the statues were originally covered with clay then with a brightly covered clay slip. When the region was actively Buddhist [by the Hazara tribe and earlier the Scythians/Indo-Sakas/Shakyians], visitors' reports suggest that at least the smaller Buddha was decorated with gemstones and enough bronze plating to make it seem as if it were made entirely of bronze or gold, rather than stone and clay.

Both faces were likely rendered in clay attached to wooden scaffolding; the blank, featureless stone core underneath was all that remained by the 19th century, giving the Bamiyan Buddhas an unsettling appearance to foreign travelers who encountered them.

The Buddhas appear to have been the work of the Gandhara civilization, showing some Greco-Roman artistic influence in the clinging drape of the [toga like] monastic robes.

Small cave niches around the statues hosted pilgrims and monastics; many of them feature brightly-painted wall and ceiling oil painted art, illustrating scenes from the life and teachings of the historical Buddha.

In addition to the two tall standing figures, numerous smaller seated Buddhas are carved into the cliff.

In 2008, archeologists rediscovered a buried reclining Buddha figure, 62 feet (19 meters) long, at the foot of the mountainside.

• Cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
• PHOTO GALLERY (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)

The Bamiyan region remained predominantly Buddhist up until the 9th century. Islam gradually displaced Buddhism in the area because it offered easier trading relations with surrounding Muslim states.

Hazaras relocated to Pakistan

In 1221, Genghis Khan invaded the Bamiyan Valley, wiping out the population, but leaving the Buddhas undamaged. Genetic testing confirms that the Hazara people who now live in Bamiyan are descended from the Mongols.

Most Muslim rulers and travelers in the area either expressed wonder at the statues or paid them little heed. For example, Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, passed through the Bamiyan Valley in 1506-7 but did not even mention the Buddhas in his journal.

Band-e Amir National Park, Afghanistan (Wiki)

The later Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707) reportedly tried to destroy the Buddhas using artillery; he was famously conservative, and even banned music during his reign, in a foreshadowing of Taliban rule. Aurangzeb's reaction was the exception, however, not the rule among Muslim observers of the Bamiyan Buddhas. More

• Archaeologists find giant 'sleeping' [reclining] Buddha in Afghanistan
• Kallie Szczepanski, May 23, 2018 (Thoughtco.com, The History of Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha of Bamiyan, Skateistan

(Journeyman Pictures) Skateistan: Afghan punk youths are skateboarding to a brighter future

• Where on the world map is Skateistan? 😊

Zawia: Zaman Buddhas of Bamiyan Shamama | زمان بت شمامه بامیان

(ZAWIA) Renegade Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal, Ph.D., has determined that Bamiyan town is one of the three seasonal capitals that comprise "Kapilavastu," the hometown of the historical Buddha Gautama, formerly Prince Siddhartha the Sage of the Scythians/Shakyians (Shakyamuni). He grew up here in the foothills of the Himalayas, in a part of the Himalayan range known as the Hindu Kush, far from Nepal and India but linked geographically. The prince renounced his life of luxury, here in wealthy but far off place along the Silk Road. He traveled East on a spiritual quest and arrived in the Kingdom of Magadha. (There was no "India" yet, which would come centuries later under the rule of Buddhist Emperor Ashoka, who united many kingdoms and republics to form or re-form Great "Bharat," India, as a nation that included Pakistan and part of Afghanistan (ancient Gandhara), which may have been a country previously at the time of the Indus Valley Civilization, 5-10,000 years before the present, when Brahmin priests treasured the Vedas, the ancient Knowledge Books, and shaped a society to their advantage. The Buddha, Mahavira (founder of Jainism) and other separatists were part of the "wandering ascetic" or shramana (shaman) movement, seeking direct experience of the Truth and teaching a Doctrine and Discipline (Dhamma-Vinaya) open to all regardless of caste or sex. So Mahavira accepted female wandering ascetics (sadhvis, sramaneris, and bhikkhunis) and then the Buddha did, and there were other dharmas that did not survive to the present, like the teachings of Makkhali Gosala. But the Old Vedic Religion was eventually claimed by Hinduism, which came centuries later as it was organized and systematized by Sri Shankara and others trying to make a fully "Indian" religion apart from outsiders and foreigners like the Buddha, who was a Scythian (as the Greeks called them) or Saka, as they are still known from the Northwestern frontier, which includes the strange and rare out of the way land now known as Afghanistan.

What's there to eat? Rice, pizza, dead bird?

How people live and what they eat in Afghanistan villages

Future female leaders of Skateistan, Kabul, AF

Evidence of Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist past (not some later territory conquered by the Silk Road spread of Buddhism) rests on such strange facts that Afghanistan is home to the largest unexcavated Buddhist temple complex (Mes Aynak), larger than Borobudur, Java, Indonesia and its pyramid temple topped by bell stupas (possible mimics of time machine technology rediscovered by the Germans and their WWII Die Glocke ET technology), the most ancient Buddhist writings (Gandhāran Buddhist texts), stupa (Buddhist burial mound) treasures found in Tillya Tepe and in neighboring Tajikistan's Ajina Tepe, and the most extensive rock hewn structures and art (like the world's oldest oil painting in Bamiyan), which spread throughout the Stans and into what is now India at its famous cave monastery complexes like Barabar and others, which seem to be miracles of advanced technology built by celestial devas ("shining ones") or works of magical feats (siddhis) wielded by powerful adepts and meditators. The Buddhist marvels at Sanchi are hard to explain as ordinary architecture planned by humans alone.

• Vegetarian in Afghanistan – the must try list 2024
• 10 best vegan restaurants in Kabul, updated 2024

Vegan Afghan comfort food: Bolani (flatbread)

Real history is much stranger than fiction.

• Invisible History researches the causes of the Soviet and American invasions of Afghanistan

It can also boast the largest Buddha statues in the world, with the largest still untouched, a reclining Buddha buried somewhere in Bamiyan not too far from the massive standing Buddhas that were destroyed by the CIA and ISI and their creation the "Taliban," whose ranks were filled in by released Islamist prisoners from neighboring countries fomented into a war against the West and Western imperialism, taught an extreme brand of Islam known as Wahhabism, which seems like the creation of CIA cubicle workers in Virginia or elsewhere rather than any kind of grassroots movement. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were detonated in public to create outrage and raise support for an American invasion of "Russia's Vietnam." Afghanistan was and remains "a land where empires go to die," England, Russia (USSR), and China's next. The CIA, Pentagon, and American forces (NSA, NSC, and other alphabet agencies we never hear about in the mainstream press) wanted to invade -- to create an oil pipeline, to secure the DNA of redhaired Nephilim cannibal giants for transhuman super soldiers, to recover time well vimana technology, to control a geopolitical Middle East from the best vantage point, to frustrate the Russian Empire's ambitions, to slow China down (with the CIA recruiting Tibet in its fight, compromising the Dalai Lama to become an asset, training and arming his close relatives in Colorado in exchange for favors and publicity), to help India and intervene by playing up both sides of a long-simmering conflict between archrivals Pakistan and India (a single country that was only divided at Partition in 1947, when the British ensured the ruination of the world as they exited by their "divide and conquer" tactics, much as they ruined and ensured misery for Palestine/Israel); in fact, so much of the world's troubles today can be laid squarely at the feet of the British and their Anglo-Afghan wars and the "Great Game" intrigue against other superpowers, with the USA just being the latest, greatest spear tip for those old United Kingdom/British ambitions to rule the world, which seem rooted in their Germanic and ancient Roman mentality to conduct endless war and banking and imperial religion to rule the world one way or another.

Zawia - Zaman Buddhas of Bamiyan Shamama | زمان بت شمامه بامیان Welcome, everyone, to Zawia’s channel. Hope everyone enjoys these videos. Please make sure to like, subscribe, and share this channel with others. Much love, and thank you, all. #Bamiyan #Buddha #ZAWIA

Follow: Twitter: zawiamedia, Facebook: zawiamedia, Instagram: zawiamedia. PLEASE DO NOT RE-UPLOAD THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE OR ELSEWHERE. Re-uploaded videos will be reported! #ZAWIA #Buddha #Bamiyan

• Zawia, Aug. 15, 2020; text and commentary, Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

An American tourist in Afghanistan 2024

F*rg@t the media: I went to Afghanistan!

The big Buddha of Bamiyan is restored (with lasers). Use of bricks was stopped due to weight.

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(Phils Guide to the World!) May 4, 2024: SEE FOR YOURSELF. Why should anyone travel to Afghanistan in 2024?  This documentary covers the Top 5 reasons.

1. The Afghan people,
2. Afghan landscapes/nature,
3. Afghan food,
4. Afghan history, and
5. Afghan culture.

Who was the Buddha in early Greco-Buddhist art?

Why are the Afghan people so awesome? They are kind, fun, and super hospitable. Many have retained their traditional way of life (especially in the mountainous areas) and are very happy to talk with Americans. Surprised? 

Viewers will just have to watch the video to see for themselves. (That's the channel's slogan).

This Afghanistan documentary take viewer to the beautiful red rock nature in Bamiyan, crystal clear blue lakes in Band-e-Amir National Park, ancient post-Buddhist mosques and history in Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat, the bustling and now safe capital of Kabul, and the striking mountains and traditional people of Nuristan.

No one should trust the mainstream media too much, particularly in the states, where we are still fed a steady diet of propaganda and post-war political narrative.

Afghanistan in 2024 is a much different place than what is portrayed by the media. Yes, the Taliban are around, but for the most part they love (and need) tourists and will go out of their way to make sure tourist [dollars] are safe in their country.

But the choice is ours. It's not easy, but this videographer is here to tell everyone that I had an incredible visit to what was once called "the most dangerous country on earth."

• [That seems to have had more to do with American invaders and terrorists bombing it, the CIA and ISI destabilizing it, and the Russians trying to incorporate it into the USSR before that, following a long period of attempted British colonization, preceding the Chinese Empire having a crack at it.]

It's [California] Phil's goal to see the world NOT through the eyes of the media, but through his own eyes. Therefore, he specializes in showing the countries the media casts in a bad light. It's in these countries that he's found the friendliest and most hospitable people. Please take a look at the full series:

•  🇦🇫 Afghanistan: shorturl.at/eTsIr
•  🇱🇾 Libya: bit.ly/3QZEDzn
• 🇵🇰 Pakistan: bit.ly/3BqGnIz)
• 🇮🇶 Iraq: bit.ly/3KhayYa
• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: shorturl.at/OL0AW

Thanks so much for support and subscriptions (bit.ly/3BqGnIz). It inspires Phil to continue making positive videos.

Cheers, Phil

#afghanistan #travel #middleeast 

✅ Subscribe for more travel videos (bit.ly/3BqGnIz)

✅ Follow on IG @philsguide

• Humaniti | Hot meals in Syria, Yemen, Gaza, beyond (muslimi.com)

په ۲۰۲۴ کال کې افغانستان ته سفر وکړئ او په بامیانو کې د سرو ډبرو ښکلی طبیعت، د بند امیر په ملي پارک کې کرسټال روښانه آبي جهيلونه، په مزارشریف او هرات کې لرغوني جوماتونه او تاریخ، د کابل له ګڼې ګوڼې ډکه او اوس خوندي پلازمینه ومومئ. د نورستان غرونه او دودیز خلک.

افغانستان په 2024 کې د هغه څه په پرتله ډیر توپیر لري چې د رسنیو لخوا ښودل شوي. هو طالبان شاوخوا دي خو تر ډیره حده دوی سیلانیان خوښوي - او د دوی له لارې به ځي ترڅو ډاډ ترلاسه کړي چې تاسو د دوی په هیواد کې خوندي یاست. مګر انتخاب ستاسو دی ... دا اسانه نه ده، مګر زه دلته د دې لپاره یم چې تاسو ته ووایم چې ما هغه څه ته چې یو وخت "د ځمکې تر ټولو خطرناک هیواد" ویل کیده یوه نه هیریدونکې لیدنه درلوده.

ولې باید افغانستان ته سفر وکړئ؟ زما غوره 5 لاملونه دي (1) افغان خلک، (2) د افغانستان منظرې/طبیعت، (3) افغان خواړه (د نړۍ غوره کبابونه)، (4) د افغانستان تاریخ او (5) افغان کلتور

افغان ولس ولې دومره ستړی دی؟ دوی مهربان او ډیر میلمه پالنه کوي، او ډیری یې خپل دودیز ژوند (په ځانګړې توګه په غرونو کې) ساتلی او د امریکایانو سره په خبرو کولو کې ډیر خوښ دي.

حیران یې؟ تاسو به یوازې د لیدلو لپاره وګورئ!

که تاسو له دې ویډیو څخه خوند اخلئ، نو مهرباني وکړئ ګډون وکړئ (bit.ly/3BqGnIz) ترڅو تعقیب شي ځکه چې زه د جنګ ځپلو هیوادونو او خلکو کې د هغه ښه سند مستند کوم.

د نړۍ هر هیواد! (ليبيا، سوريه او هايتي ورپسې دي!)

خوشحاله، فل

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در سال 2024 به افغانستان سفر کنید و طبیعت زیبای صخره ای قرمز در بامیان، دریاچه های آبی شفاف در پارک ملی بند امیر، مساجد باستانی و تاریخ در مزار شریف و هرات، پایتخت شلوغ و اکنون امن کابل و کشف کنید. کوه های چشمگیر و مردم سنتی نورستان.

افغانستان در سال 2024 با آنچه رسانه ها نشان می دهند بسیار متفاوت است. بله، طالبان در اطراف هستند، اما بیشتر آنها گردشگران را دوست دارند - و تمام تلاش خود را می کنند تا مطمئن شوند که شما در کشورشان ایمن هستید. اما انتخاب با شماست... آسان نیست، اما من اینجا هستم تا به شما بگویم که بازدیدی باورنکردنی از جایی داشتم که زمانی "خطرناک ترین کشور روی زمین" نامیده می شد.

چرا باید از افغانستان دیدن کرد؟ 5 دلیل اصلی من عبارتند از (1) مردم افغانستان، (2) مناظر / طبیعت افغانستان، (3) غذاهای افغانی (بهترین کباب ها در جهان)، (4) تاریخ افغانستان و (5) فرهنگ افغانستان

چرا مردم افغانستان اینقدر عالی هستند؟ آنها مهربان و فوق العاده مهمان نواز هستند و بسیاری از آنها شیوه زندگی سنتی خود را حفظ کردند (به ویژه در کوهستان) و از صحبت با آمریکایی ها بسیار خوشحال هستند.

غافلگیر شدن؟ شما فقط باید تماشا کنید تا ببینید!

اگر از این ویدیو لذت می برید، لطفاً اشتراک (bit.ly/3BqGnIz) را دنبال کنید تا چیزهای خوبی را که در مردم کشورهای جنگ زده پیدا می کنم مستند کنم.

هر کشوری در جهان! (لیبی، سوریه و هائیتی در رتبه های بعدی قرار دارند!)

به سلامتی، فیل

• Phil (YouTube); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Lost Buddhas of Afghanistan: What's left?

The Mysterious Lost Buddhas of Afghanistan: What is left behind in Bamiyan? 🇦🇫

Lasers have been used to create a hologram of the original stone destroyed in what Russian psychic and Theosophist Madame Blavatsky said was a much older figure of man (converted by ancient artisans into the Buddha) in various phases of evolutionary development, devolving through time and becoming smaller.

(Davud Akhundzada) Let's go see inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The Buddha of Gandhara (Saka, Afghanistan)

We travel after the U.S. bombed it back to the Stone Age, stripped it, raped the Pashtun and other peoples, and abandoned it, leaving behind $7 billion dollars' worth of nearly worthless military equipment to fight off the Chinese Empire that is coming next.

Since I started to travel and explore Asia, Afghanistan has always been my dream country. The movies I have watched and the books I have read about Afghanistan have built dreamy expectations in my head of the country that I would not be able to experience anywhere else.

• BAMIYAN, Afghanistan (ancient Gandhara, Scythia)

Where is NW India's neighbor?

My visit did not disappoint: Afghanistan was time travel from bustling and unorganized bazaars, street shaves, same clothing in different colors, no brands, magnificent landscapes, and the bravest people with the biggest hearts of hospitality.

On this trip, we covered Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul, and Bamiyan [which Wisdom Quarterly says are two of the seasonal capitals that once formed the Buddha's hometown of Kapilavastu, in the Scythian land of the Sakas/Shakyas].

Visiting Afghanistan is a sensitive topic for many people. As in any country I go to, the main objective is to share the day-to-day life and spotlight the ordinary people that the mass media fail to capture.

No matter how you feel about my trip, here is my summary. Despite facing significant challenges, Afghanistan has many positive aspects that deserve recognition: diverse landscapes, rich history, warm hospitality, delicious cuisine, resilient people, and more!

Archeological efforts to find (hazarapeople.com)

• [EDITORS: According to maverick Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal, Prince Siddhartha (the future Buddha) was raised in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, one of three seasonal capitals (for the hot, cold, and rainy seasons), making this land around the world's largest Buddha statues hallowed ground, made all the more sacred by the fact that although the CIA/ISI/Taliban blew up the two standing hillside Buddhas, they did not uncover and destroy the largest reclining Buddha buried and hidden in the area. See this old National Geographic documentary on its historical existence.]

Takht-e Rostam, Afghanistan, ancient Gandhara

Safety was the biggest concern of many people I have talked to and, naturally, that has been the main worry when you enter a war-torn country over the last 40 years. With the re-takeover of the Taliban, the country is much safer than before; at least no conflicts are going on.

My Persian surname, which is the same as the current supreme leader of the Taliban, my cultural background, being a man with a three-year-old beard, looking like one of the locals does not qualify me to talk about safety much when it comes to being a tourist. I had a significant advantage, considering these factors.

• FilmWeek: New movie about present-day Afghanistan released July 2024: ‘Hollywoodgate’ (LAist)

DISCLAIMER: This is not a travel advisory. Afghanistan has a government that has not been recognized by any country, with no embassies or international relations. I am a professional traveler who explored the country with an organized guide.

I quit my corporate job in September 2021 to chase new destinations and document my life. I am following my passion for creating experience-driven travel videos with a human touch. Let's stay connected:

✅ Facebook: davudakhundzada ✅ Instagram: davud ✅ TikTok: vm.tiktok.com/ZMeSm6Pby ✅ YouTube Shorts: davudakhundzadashorts ✅ Twitter: davud_akh.

Support my work: ✖️ Patreon: davudakhundzada ✖️ Website: akhundzadadavud.com.

Featured places: See more information in Google MapsBuddha of BamyanTourist attraction 4.5 (372) Details

• Davud Akhundzada, 10/5/23; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

'Hollywoodgate,' new doc on Afghanistan

What happened to the Afghans?

Immediately after the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, Taliban forces occupied the Hollywood Gate complex, which is claimed to be a former CIA base in Kabul.

[Afghanistan is part of the site of the real Kapilavastu, where the future Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, was raised. Kabul is, according to Dr. Ranajit Pal, one of the seasonal capitals of an ancient Scythian country in Gandhara, Indo-Sakastan, "the Land of the Saka/Shakyas," along with Bamiyan and Mes Aynak, according to Wisdom Quarterly.

What remains of once progressive and Western Afghanistan after the US destroyed it?

We rule the world from within the USA.

Why did the CIA encourage its co-creation (along with Pakistan's secret spying agency, the ISI), the "Taliban" or "List," to blow up priceless a world heritage site? To foment lust for war among Americans and to quell worldwide condemnation of the Bush administration's invasion of a neutral country under the guises of pre-empting "terrorism" or punishing a country for having a terrorist in it, which doing nothing to Bush-friendly Saudi Arabia, where the Bush clan and mainstream media claim most of the terrorists like Osama bin Laden were from. It's easy to get fanatics and ex-cons from a neighboring country to follow any religious mandate pointed out to them in their own holy books, particularly the CIA-created cult of Wahhabism, an extremist form of strict fundamentalism and literal interpretation.

That is, of course, ancient Buddhist history when the latest iteration of the Dharma (the Liberation Teachings of a buddha) returned to the world with the rise of the historical Buddha Gautama.

In more recent news, the CIA (supported by the U.S. military or Pentagon and other agencies) followed the USSR.

The USSR (Soviet Union, the modern Russian Empire composed of Ukraine and other Soviet states called the Stans in and around Central Asia) had been in a quagmire in Afghanistan. The USA fell into one worse than its War on Vietnam (with its simultaneous illegal and secret U.S. wars on neighboring Buddhist countries Cambodia and Laos). This mess took American protesters and peaceniks 20 years to get us out of.]

This documentary is directed by Ibrahim Nash'at. Written by Shane Boris, Talal Derki, and Ibrahim Nash'at. It stars Ibrahim Nash'at.

• Hollywoodgate (IMDb)
• FilmWeek REVIEW: ‘Hollywoodgate’ and more | LAist
• Pfc. Sandoval, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly