Travelling missionaries, traders, artists and warriors from many lands enriched the culture of the Bamyan region. Famous for its 300 feet high cliffs housing Buddhist sculptures and paintings, Bamyan today is in need of massive rebuilding in order to entice tourists back to the province. The Afghan authorities have decided not to give priority to the reconstruction of the giant Buddhas at Bamyan (pictured left in the mid 1990s) which were blown up by the Taliban in March 2001, although numerous agencies outside of Afghanistan are making replicas. The cliffs of Bamyan, their 600 to 750 caves and remains of the mural paintings with which they are decorated must be protected and restored. A small site museum will also be created and new excavations undertaken to locate a third Reclining Buddha statue of massive proportions that is still believed to be buried in the area.