Hadda: Rescuing Early Buddhist Art in Afghanistan

In 2001, the 1500-year-old sculptures from Hadda, a Greco-Buddhist archaeological site in eastern Afghanistan, were systematically smashed by the Taliban.

From 2017-2022, The University of Chicago's Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (formerly the Oriental Institute) worked with partners at the National Museum of Afghanistan to stabilize and restore the 7,600 fragments of stucco sculptures from this early Buddhist monastic center.

This project was directed by Gil J. Stein, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Chicago Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation (C3HP) at The University of Chicago.

Production of this video was supported by the United States Department of State under award number SAF 200-17-CA001. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.