Local Taleban in Bamiyan refused to destroy the statues, and al-Qaeda followers had to be called from further afield to carry out the destruction, under the direction of Chechen demolition experts.
Slightly farther afield, Sri Lanka's so-called "cultural triangle" - comprising the area bounded by Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa - hosts Sri Lanka's most celebrated archaeological and cultural sites, and four more of its Unesco World Heritage sites.