Buddha
beams back
One of the famous Bamiyan
Buddhas destroyed by the
Taliban stands again in his niche
in the central highlands of
Afghanistan. Alas, although
restoration work has begun, this
was only a brilliant illusion,
projected there by a Chinese
couple, Zhang Xinyu and Liang
Hong, who were touring along
the old Silk Road. The statues
were dynamited in 2001 to
prevent idol-worshipping.
Photograph: Zhang Xinyu/Corbis