Buddhist caves found west of Afghanistan's Bamiyan

Buddhist caves found west of Afghanistan's Bamiyan

YAKAWLANG, Afghanistan - Takashi Irisawa, professor of Japan's Ryukoku University, checks one of Buddhist caves his team has found in a valley near Yakawlang, some 100 kilometers west of the Bamiyan archeological site on Oct. 14. Bamiyan had been considered to mark the western edge of the spread of Buddhist culture in pre-Islamic Afghanistan, but the discovery of the caves, believed to have been built around the eighth century, suggests there was a large-scale Buddhist cultural area west of Bamiyan.

Japanese univ. team finds stone caves 120 km west of Bamiyan rui

Japanese univ. team finds stone caves 120 km west of Bamiyan rui

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows one of Buddhist stone caves found by a Japanese research team in late October on cliffs located 1 km west of Keligan ruins and 120 km west of the Bamiyan ruins in central Afghanistan. The caves are believed to date back to the eighth century, said members of the team, headed by Ryukoku University professor Takashi Irisawa, on Nov. 9. The photo was provided by Akira Inoue. (Kyodo)

Japanese univ. team finds stone caves 120 km west of Bamiyan rui

Japanese univ. team finds stone caves 120 km west of Bamiyan rui

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows one of Buddhist stone caves found by a Japanese research team in late October on cliffs located 1 km west of Keligan ruins and 120 km west of the Bamiyan ruins in central Afghanistan. The caves are believed to date back to the eighth century, said members of the team, headed by Ryukoku University professor Takashi Irisawa, on Nov. 9. The photo was provided by Akira Inoue. (Kyodo)

Buddhist caves found west of Afghanistan's Bamiyan

Buddhist caves found west of Afghanistan's Bamiyan

YAKAWLANG, Afghanistan - Takashi Irisawa, professor of Japan's Ryukoku University, checks one of Buddhist caves his team has found in a valley near Yakawlang, some 100 kilometers west of the Bamiyan archeological site on Oct. 14. Bamiyan had been considered to mark the western edge of the spread of Buddhist culture in pre-Islamic Afghanistan, but the discovery of the caves, believed to have been built around the eighth century, suggests there was a large-scale Buddhist cultural area west of Bamiyan. (Kyodo)