Sir, - The photograph of the taller Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan (The Irish Times, March 1st) gave readers a glimpse of the astonishing beauty and elegance of this second-century relic. The news that the Taliban, the fundamentalist rulers of Afghanistan, have ordered the destruction of this 53-metre statue and its smaller, 35-metre neighbour will have sent a deep chill through those of us who have had the great good fortune to visit this exceptional site. While UNESCO has urged the Taliban to reconsider its decision - to be told that the decisions of supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar are irreversible - we should hope that Western governments use their diplomatic relations with Pakistan to urge that they encourage their neighbours to exercise restraint. Perhaps, compared with the continuing suffering of the Afghani people the destruction of ancient religious monuments might seem irrelevant. Yet I believe we are all of us diminished by the loss of a truly outstanding example of world cultural heritage. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Colin Sage, Department of Geography, University College Cork.