A night with Buddha: How statue of religious leader returned virtually in Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Tuesday marked a brief virtual return of one of the nation's famed Buddha statues 25 years after it was destroyed by The Taliban. 

Check out the images of an event in which technology revived the spiritual and religious guru. 
 

Buddha appeared on a three-dimensional projection filling the alcove that once hosted the iconic statue for centuries. 

It happened on the day when two famous Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in central Afghanistan's Bamiyan valley. 

To witness the virtual appearance of the 55-metre (155-feet) high statue that once stood, hundreds of people gathered at the base of the cliff where ancient caves, monasteries, and shrines have also been installed. 

"We do not want people to forget what a horrific crime was committed here," Zahra Hussaini, one of the organisers of the "A night with Buddha" event, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. 

The Taliban was internationally condemned after the centuries-old statues were destroyed by the Taliban to target non-Islamic religious and cultural sites. 

"These moments also remind you of what a great treasure we lost," Gulsoom Zahra, a 23-year-old native who attended the ceremony said.