One of the places where tourists now gather is at the ruined Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley. The towering limestone and wood statues stood for 1,500 years until the Taliban blew up the monuments in 2001.
– A lot of people were saddened by it, says visitor Shah Mohammed to SVT.
Now the Taliban claim they have changed and visitors are welcome to visit the historic site, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Still big problems
Although people can now travel freely in the country, a major humanitarian crisis still remains. The economic collapse has created widespread poverty among many of the country’s households.
– There are no jobs. I went out to look for work, but in vain, says the man of the Alizada family in Bamiya, who no longer receives any food aid since the Taliban took over.
See clip above from when SVT’s correspondent Samir Abu Eid visits, among other things, Bamiyan.