[RonDog]

From www.implosionworld.com:

OLDEST ITEM EXPLOSIVELY DEMOLISHED
The Great Buddas of Bamiyan
Central Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

This record was ignominiously set in March 2001 when, in an attempt to destroy all religious monuments seen to compete with Islam, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban ordered explosives experts to demolish two of the world’s largest standing Buddas. The historical statues, rising 175 and 120 feet respectively, had been hewn out of sandstone cliffs and dated back to the age of Christ.

The explosive demolition was sharply criticized by leaders around the world, and many others have since expressed grief at the loss of what the BBC called “one of Asia’s greatest archeological treasures.”

[RonDog]

From www.tdhafghanistan.org:

The Destruction of the Large and
Small Buddha
The colossal Buddhas of Bamiyan were one of Afghanistan’s most impressive cultural sites and, towering to heights of 38 and 55 meters, were among the largest images of the Buddha ever created. Carved out of a sheer rockface overlooking Bamiyan river, they dominated a valley which has been Muslim for over a thousand years.