The Taliban's destruction of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan in March 2001 was the most dramatic expression of their mission to obliterate all "idolatrous" images from Afghanistan's pre-Islamic past. Along with the Buddhas, the Taliban destroyed 2,500 other cultural gems from Kabul's National Museum of Afghanistan.

The non-profit World Monument Fund has released its biennial Watch List of the world's 100 most endangered architectural and cultural treasures. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports this year's sites can be found across the globe, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.