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  • A view of a recently constructed section of Leh where migrants or itinerant workers from nearby villages move to in search for better economic conditions.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_32.jpg
  • A mountain view along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_26.jpg
  • A labourer taking a break on a bed of stones against a view of the mountain landscape along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_09.jpg
  • A section of Kabul, Afghanistan, is photographed from the heights of Television Mountain, one of the renowned viewing points of the city.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • On the outskirts of Khayelitsha township people are getting busy on the road. Table Mount and Lion's Head, two icons of Cape Town, are visible in the background.
    HIV_AIDS_Children_17.JPG
  • Hamidah, 6, (Centre) is playing with a shovel while other members of the family are washing clothes or arranging morning duties, in front the cave they live since seven years, during a cold winter morning in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_63.JPG
  • Children are playing in front of an inhabited section of the cliff where once stood the two giant Buddhas of Bamyan, in central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_59.JPG
  • Maryam, 38, (Left) is sitting near the wood stove inside her family cave along two of her young daughters, Halemah, 9, (Centre) and Hamidah, 6, (Right) during the late afternoon hours when it is too cold to be spending time outside, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_53.JPG
  • Visible when driving along the scenic Mulholland Drive, luxury mansions have been built on the hills surrounding Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_06.JPG
  • A section of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying above the city.
    Kabul_From_The_Sky_04.JPG
  • A boy and his father are transporting gas cylinders with the use of donkeys in a small town on the road from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to the mountain village of Bamiyan, located on the Hindu Kush range. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi048.jpg
  • Professor Zemaryali Tarzi, (right) a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France and teacher in Strasbourg University, is portrayed discussing with one of his assistants on the excavation field where he is searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha. The statue should be located between the original two standing Buddhas, Afghanistan, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi014.JPG
  • A young boy is riding his donkey home after having collected water water from a small river in Bamyan, Afghanistan. In the town there is no electricity or running water. Power is only being provided by generators or solar panels. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi009.JPG
  • Azita Arif Nazimi, 25, (right) is presenting 'Family Live Show', a television program broadcasted live by Channel 1, an Afghan national television, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her guest and other members of the show are sitting near Azita. .
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Yasamin Yarmal, 42, (right) a famous Afghan actress taking part to 'Love and Old Age', a successful soap opera broadcasted by Ariana Television Network (ATN), is discussing her acting with Ghafar Zalam, 48, (right - hands and script visible) the director, inside a home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. Yasamin Yarmal has performed in over 100 movies and some refer to her as the 'mother' of Afghan cinema. She was also selected as UNAMA (United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Peace Ambassador in 2009 for her role in leading a change towards women within the conservative and patriarchal Afghan society.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Elaha Soroor, 20, (centre) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is portrayed in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Alka Sadat, 24, (centre), an award-winning documentary and fiction filmmaker, is smiling while sitting at her desk in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Two women (left) dressed in traditional burka dresses are walking past a cart carrying brand new television sets along a more modern Afghan woman and her young daughter, (right) on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Azita Arif Nazimi, 25, (left) is presenting 'Family Live Show', a television program broadcasted live by Channel 1, an Afghan national television, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Two adventurous tourists on bikes are riding along the Leh-Manali Highway...The Leh-Manali Highway is the main road connection between the remote mountainous region of Ladhak, with capital in Leh (3300m), and Manali, HP, a famous hill station 600 km north of New Delhi. Open only four months a year, it is the second-highest motorable road in the world crossing passes up to 5300 meters. It was constructed by the Indian Army in order to develop the surrounding areas as well as monitoring the nearby borders with Kashmir and China. Due to its beauty and increased accessibility, the road to Leh and Ladhak has recently become a must-see destination for local and international tourists leaving the scorching Indian plains..
    Leh-Manali-Highway_India_07.jpg
  • The Indian Army routinely check foreign passports in various locations along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_21.jpg
  • Labourers are fixing part of the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_12.jpg
  • Solitary cars travel on the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_02.jpg
  • Villages are photographed from the air while travelling over the Hidu Kush range between Kabul and Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_71.JPG
  • Milad, 2, is portrayed during a snowy winter morning in front of the cave where he lives with his family since seven years, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_65.JPG
  • Fatemah, 12, is walking near the cave where she lives with her family since seven years, during a cold winter morning in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_62.JPG
  • Members of the Bling Ring used to spend time at various places across central Los Angeles: Teddy's (club inside the Roosevelt Hotel), 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, CA 90028, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_39.JPG
  • At least two of the Bling Ring members met when attending the Indian Hills High School in Los Angeles. 28545 West Driver Avenue, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_30.JPG
  • Visitors are attending an open bus tour organised by Hollywood Value Tours along the streets of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_27.JPG
  • Visible when driving along the scenic Mulholland Drive, the Sheraton Universal Hotel (left) is seen in the Universal City area of Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_25.JPG
  • Visible when driving along the scenic Mulholland Drive, luxury mansions have been built on the hills surrounding Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_21.JPG
  • An Afghan man is carrying a papaya on the streets of Bamiyan's new bazaar. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi049.jpg
  • A Japanese woman belonging to the maintenance and restoration team in Bamiyan is working on emergency fixtures on the walls of an ancient Buddhist cave on the premises of the archaeological site. The Japanese team of experts has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi030.JPG
  • Old, unusable tanks left in Bamiyan after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan are being enveloped by growing weeds while sitting as relics in what has become a field for cultivating potatoes. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi026.JPG
  • A villager is harvesting wheat in one of the fields located next to the Buddhas of Bamiyan's archaeological site. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi027.JPG
  • An Afghan child is carrying flowers through a field in Bamiyan, a small Afghan town mostly populated by Hazaras. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi039.JPG
  • Professor Zemaryali Tarzi, (left) a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France and teacher in Strasbourg University, is portrayed on his excavation field while searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue between the original standing Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi003.JPG
  • Roya Sadat, 28, a documentary and fiction filmmaker, is sitting in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Roya's most famous production is titled 'Three Dots', an award-winning film that tells the story of women's village life in the province of Herat, western Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Somaya Rezaie, 20, a young Afghan actress whose career has been affected by having part of the movie where she acted subtracted and played along 'music clips', is gazing at the streets from the window of a friend's home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Women appearing on 'music clips' in Afghanistan can be seen as 'immoral' by the public, might face dangers while and their careers can also be at stake.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • A section of Kabul, Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying over the city.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Roya Sadat, 28, (right) and Alka Sadat, 24, (centre), two sisters working on documentary and fiction film, are sitting at their desk while editing their recent shooting in their home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Aziz Dilder, 28, (left) a teacher at the cinema department of the fine art faculty of Kabul University is collaborating with the two brave sisters since about one year. Roya's most famous production is titled 'Three Dots' and it is an award-winning film that tells the story of women's village life in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Elaha Soroor, 20, (centre) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is practising in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Leena Alam, 27, is sitting while waiting to be interviewed by a presenter of Channel 1, an Afghan national television, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Leena Alam is an American-born Afghan model, actress and filmmaker who has recently moved to Kabul to perform and promote emancipation and better rights for women in the country. She is also a UNAMA (United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Peace Ambassador.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • An Indian tourist is taking a break along the Leh-Manali Highway during one of the many long queues that come to create due to its steepness and narrowness. Six thousands workers are employed from East India by the Indian Army every year to maintain and strengthen the road which has become an important tourist and economic route to the north...The Leh-Manali Highway is the main road connection between the remote mountainous region of Ladhak, with capital in Leh (3300m), and Manali, HP, a famous hill station 600 km north of New Delhi. Open only four months a year, it is the second-highest motorable road in the world crossing passes up to 5300 meters. It was constructed by the Indian Army in order to develop the surrounding areas as well as monitoring the nearby borders with Kashmir and China. Due to its beauty and increased accessibility, the road to Leh and Ladhak has recently become a must-see destination for local and international tourists leaving the scorching Indian plains..
    Leh-Manali-Highway_India_24.jpg
  • Travellers are taking a break at one of the various tent camps where they can be hosted, served food and hot drinks..The Leh-Manali Highway is the main road connection between the remote mountainous region of Ladhak, with capital in Leh (3300m), and Manali, HP, a famous hill station 600 km north of New Delhi. Open only four months a year, it is the second-highest motorable road in the world crossing passes up to 5300 meters. It was constructed by the Indian Army in order to develop the surrounding areas as well as monitoring the nearby borders with Kashmir and China. Due to its beauty and increased accessibility, the road to Leh and Ladhak has recently become a must-see destination for local and international tourists leaving the scorching Indian plains..
    Leh-Manali-Highway_India_17.jpg
  • Local shop-owners sitting in their shop catered for travellers and excursionists along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_31.jpg
  • A lone woman is prostrating to a Buddhist Stupa along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_25.jpg
  • A truck is passing through a narrow and steep section of the Leh-Manali Highway bordering a lake.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_22.jpg
  • Along the Leh-Manali Highway.
    Leh_Manali_Highway_India_03.jpg
  • Hamidah, 6, (Left) and her two sisters Fatemah, 12, and Halemah, 9, are collecting water from a hand-pump situated on ground level a few hundred's meters from the cave where they live with their family since seven years, during a cold winter morning in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_75.JPG
  • Maryam, 38, (Left) is warming her hands near the wood stove inside the cave where she live with her family since seven years, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_76.JPG
  • Hamidah, 6, is sitting alone next to a cave dug out of the friable the cliff where once stood the two giant Buddhas of Bamyan during the late afternoon hours when the Sun is setting on the Hindu Kush mountain range, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_73.JPG
  • A woman and her son are waling along the bazaar in the centre of Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_68.JPG
  • Halemah, 9, is running after her family's donkey on the way to collect water downhill. Halemah lives in the caves with her family since seven years, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_57.JPG
  • Fatemah, 12, (Right) and her mother, Maryam, 38, (Left) are sitting in front of the cave where they live since seven years, during a cold winter morning in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_58.JPG
  • Fatemah, 12, is blowing in her hands to warm up in the early hours of a cold winter morning in the cave where her family resides since seven years, in Bamyan, central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. A historically persecuted minority (15%) due to more lenient Islamic faith and characteristic 'Eastern' lineaments, Hazaras constitute the 70% of Bamyan's population.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_55.JPG
  • The cliff where once stood the two giant Buddhas of Bamyan is photographed at night from a nearby hill by the homonymous town, in central Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_51.JPG
  • Members of the Bling Ring used to spend time at various places across central Los Angeles: Apple (now RASPUTIN), 665 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_38.JPG
  • Members of the Bling Ring used to spend time at various places across central Los Angeles: Guys & Dolls (now DOMINICK'S), 8713 Beverly Blvd, CA 90048, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_35.JPG
  • Members of the Bling Ring used to spend time at various places across central Los Angeles: Les Deux (now SADIE KITCHEN LOUNGE), 1638 North Las Palmas Ave, CA 90028, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_34.JPG
  • Members of the Bling Ring used to spend time at various places across central Los Angeles: Beso Hollywood, 6350 Hollywood Blvd, CA 90028, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_33.JPG
  • San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) is busy with cars during the early evening hours in Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_32.JPG
  • The house of Lindsay Lohan, on the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, was robbed by the Bling Ring on August 23, 2009. Lohan moved out soon afterwards. (NOT FOR PUBLICATION: 2267 El Contento Drive, CA 90068, USA)
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  • A woman (centre) is walking with boutique shopping bags while checking her phone along Rodeo Drive, the renowned shopping avenue running across Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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  • Downtown Los Angeles, lighting up after sunset, is visible in its grandeur from viewpoint along Mulholland Drive, California, USA.
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  • During a busy Sunday lunch, a band is playing inside the Sagebrush Cantina, 23527 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302, USA, where Alexis Neisers, a member of the Bling Ring, used to work as a waitress.
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  • During a night out, a young man is gazing out the window while his limousine is about to turn on Hollywood Boulevard, in central Los Angeles, California, USA.
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  • Two people dressed as robots are standing along Hollywood Boulevard, in central Los Angeles, California, USA.
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  • During a busy Sunday lunch, a waitress is running around the Sagebrush Cantina, 23527 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302, USA, where Alexis Neisers, a member of the Bling Ring, used to carry out the same job.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_11.JPG
  • Two men are spending time next to the swimming pool in the garden of a large mansion visible from the scenic Mulholland Drive, running on the hills of Los Angeles, California, USA.
    Los_Angeles_Bling_Ring_01.JPG
  • A section of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying above the city.
    Kabul_From_The_Sky_05.JPG
  • A section of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying above the city.
    Kabul_From_The_Sky_03.JPG
  • A section of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying above the city.
    Kabul_From_The_Sky_02.JPG
  • A section of the city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is photographed from a helicopter flying above the city.
    Kabul_From_The_Sky_01.JPG
  • An Afghan boy is walking near Bamyian's archaeological site. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi050.jpg
  • Villagers are collecting water from a small river in Bamyan, Afghanistan. In the town there is no electricity or running water. Power is only being provided by generators or solar panels. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi047.jpg
  • Afghans are building a small local Mosque in a rocky village located near Bamyian's archaeological site. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi046.jpg
  • An Italian archaeologist is working on the maintenance and restoration of the Buddhas of Bamiyan's site in collaboration with a Japanese team of experts who has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi045.jpg
  • Members of the Japanese team with the task to maintain and restore Bamiyan's archaeological site are working on emergency fixtures where the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') once stood. The Japanese team of experts has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. nce a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi031.JPG
  • Young boys are going back home after a visit to the bazaar passing by some of the caves in Bamyian that are still inhabited by a mixture of IDP (Internally-Displaced Persons) returnees and others with no chances for a better home. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi019.JPG
  • An Afghan elder is sleeping on the streets of Bamiyan's new bazaar. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi037.JPG
  • ANP officers (Afghan National Police) are posing for a portrait in their booth along Bamiyanís new bazaar. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi035.JPG
  • Afghans are walking near their homes in a rocky village located near Bamyian's archaeological site. The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi034.JPG
  • A river running through the Hindu Kush, the mountain range crossing Afghanistan and separating Kabul from Bamiyan, is photographed from a UNAMA helicopter on its way to the capital. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi033.JPG
  • Afghan labourers are employed by Professor Zemaryali Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France and teacher in Strasbourg University, while on his hunt for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue between the original standing Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi032.JPG
  • The cliff where once stood the Western Buddha (55m - 'Male') is photographed after sunset in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi017.JPG
  • Members of the Japanese maintenance and restoration team in Bamiyan are collecting and cataloguing remains of ancient Buddhist and Islamic artefacts found on the premises of the archaeological site. The Japanese team of experts has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century...Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi015.JPG
  • A Japanese woman belonging to the maintenance and restoration team in Bamiyan is working on emergency fixtures on the walls of an ancient Buddhist cave on the premises of the archaeological site. The Japanese team of experts has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi013.JPG
  • Afghan labourers are employed by Professor Zemaryali Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France and teacher in Strasbourg University, while on his hunt for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue between the original standing Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi011.JPG
  • An Afghan archaeologist is working on the maintenance and restoration of the Buddhas of Bamiyanís archaeological site in collaboration with a Japanese team of experts who has been visiting the town for various years to find a long-term solution to its slow but unceasing disappearance. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi006.JPG
  • An Afghan woman is walking through a field of blossoming flowers in Bamiyan, a small Afghan town mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modeled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi002.JPG
  • The cliff where once stood the two Giant Buddhas of Bamiyan is photographed after sunset in the small Afghan town, an area mostly populated by Hazaras. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters. The statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modelled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco. Amid widespread international condemnation, the smaller statues (55 and 39 meters respectively) were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban because they believed them to be un-Islamic idols. Once a stopping point along the Silk Road between China and the Middle East, researchers think Bamiyan was the site of monasteries housing as many as 5,000 monks during its peak as a Buddhist centre in the 6th and 7th centuries. It is now a UNESCO Heritage Site since 2003. Archaeologists from various countries across the world have been engaged in preservation, general maintenance around the site and renovation. Professor Tarzi, a notable An Afghan-born archaeologist from France, and a teacher in Strasbourg University, has been searching for a legendary 300m Sleeping Buddha statue in various sites between the original standing ones, as documented in the old account of a renowned Chinese scholar, Xuanzang, visiting the area in the 7th century. Professor Tarzi worked on projects to restore the other Bamiyan Buddhas in the late 1970s and has spent most of his career researching the existence of the missing giant Buddha in the valley.
    Bamiyan_UNESCO_Alex_Masi001.JPG
  • Elaha Soroor, 20, (centre) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is practising in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis. .
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Elaha Soroor, 20, (centre) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is portrayed in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Elaha Soroor, 20, (centre) a finalist for 'Afghan Star', a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is practising in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elaha Soroor was a finalist of Afghan Star in the 2008-2009 edition but failed to win on the final night. Some believe she lost because of her gender, others believe because she is ethnically Hazara, a minority group constituting about 15% of Afghanistan's population with features similar to Mongolians, flat noses, broad faces and almond-shaped eyes. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, as opposed to other Afghans who are for the most part Sunnis.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Roya Sadat, 28, a documentary and fiction filmmaker, is speaking on the phone in her home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Roya's most famous production is titled 'Three Dots', an award-winning film that tells the story of women's village life in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Leena Alam, 27, is sitting inside at studio of Channel 1, an Afghan national television, before being interviewed by a presenter, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Leena Alam is an American-born Afghan model, actress and filmmaker who has recently moved to Kabul to perform and promote emancipation and better rights for women in the country. She is also a UNAMA (United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Peace Ambassador.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Ghafar Zalam, 48, the director for the soap opera 'Love and Old Age', broadcasted by Ariana Television Network (ATN) and featuring the renowned actress Yasamin Yarmal, 42, is reading the script for the shoot inside a home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. Yasamin Yarmal has performed in over 100 movies and some refer to her as the 'mother' of Afghan cinema. She was also selected as UNAMA (United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Peace Ambassador in 2009 for her role in leading a change towards women within the conservative and patriarchal Afghan society.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Yasamin Yarmal, 42, (left) a famous Afghan actress taking part to 'Love and Old Age', a successful soap opera broadcasted by Ariana Television Network (ATN), is smiling with her colleagues before moving to a location to shoot a part of the series. Yasamin Yarmal has performed in over 100 movies and some refer to her as the 'mother' of Afghan cinema. She was also selected as UNAMA (United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Peace Ambassador in 2009 for her role in leading a change towards women within the conservative and patriarchal Afghan society.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
  • Safia, 23, a renowned singer and former contestant to 'Afghan Star' 2008-2009 edition, a Tolo TV program similar to American Idol, is practising in a studio for the production and launch of her new album, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    Performing_For_Freedom_Kabul_Afghani...JPG
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