of an ancient Buddhist temple less than two kilometers from the niches where Bamiyan's two giant Buddha statues once stood. Although saved from the ravages of war and conflict, the sleeping colossal did not escape significant injury. Due to the fact very little is known about the sleeping Buddha it is difficult for archeologists to ascertain the exact causes of the damages, however, Professor Tarzi assessed the majority of the impairment is simple deterioration from time and the elements. Future of Afghanistan's art, cultural heritage and identity Little is certain on the survival and preservation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage through the mediums of art and architecture. However, much is being done to reinstitute art studios, traditional clay sculpting schools and archeological foundations in order to reopen the doors and expand upon Afghanistan's lost, forgotten or otherwise suppressed traditional teachings and cultural heritage. In 2002, UNESCO was charged with the task of rehabilitating Afghanistan's scarred cultural heritage that underwent incredible loss and irreversible damage during two continuous decades of war and civil unrest. Despite ongoing operations to thwart Taliban resurgence attempts, UNESCO is entrusted by the existing Afghan government to coordinate all international efforts to aiming to safeguard and enhance Afghanistan's cultural heritage. UNESCO's strategy includes assisting in the re-establishment of links between the populations in order to develop a sense of common ownership of monuments, artifacts and historical sites that represent the cultural heritage of different segments of Afghan society. To date, the expenditures of UNESCO's funding and alternative forms of assistance well exceed the 7 million committed at the Kabul Seminar in May 2002. Excavators at the Buddhist site of Mes Aynak have been denounced as "promoting Buddhism" and threatened by the Taliban and many of the Afghan excavators who are working for purely financial reasons don't feel any connection to the Buddhist artifacts. See also Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Alexander the Great Kabul Museum References Bibliography Mojumadar, Aunohita. "Beyond the Frame" . The Hindu September 14, 2008. Comiteau, Lauren. "Saving Afghanistan's Art". Time January 8, 2008. Web. October 25, 2011. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. World Archaeological Congress and Agnew, Neville, and Bridgland, Janet. Of the past, for the future: integrating archaeology and conservation: proceedings of the conservation theme at the 5th World Archaeological Congress, Washington, D.C., 22–26 June 2003 / edited by Neville Agnew and Janet Bridgland. Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, Calif.: 2006