AIA President John D. Anderson, FAIA, sent a letter March 14 to UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura deploring the "violent and senseless destruction of the cultural heritage in Afghanistan."

On behalf of the AIA, Anderson pleaded for an immediate end to the Taliban edict to destroy cultural and monumental artifacts, which resulted in the demolition of the world's largest standing Buddha statues at Bamiyan in mid-March. "We plead with Taliban authorities to stop this irreversible assault on two millennia of Afghanistan's artistic and cultural achievements, treasured not only as the spiritual birthright of Buddhists everywhere but also as a universal cultural heritage for people of all faiths and nationalities," Anderson wrote.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.