Bamiyan cave-dwellers to be moved to residential settlement

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said Tuesday that construction of a housing project has started, which when complete will be used to house the Bamiyan cave dwellers.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday Mujahid said that the cave dwellers have essentially been homeless.

“At the opening ceremony of the settlement, Mawlavi Abdullah Sarhadi, the governor of Bamiyan, and the officials of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees were present,” Mujahid tweeted.

Mujahid did not give further details about this resettlement plan, nor did he say how many families would benefit.

For hundreds of years people have lived in the caves, carved out of the sandstone cliffs, and at last count it was estimated that about 700 families currently call the caves home.

But for years, the situation has been a concern for authorities, especially as the cliffs form part of the Bamiyan UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Officials and experts have said for years that the longer the caves are occupied, the more damage is done to the site, as families install front doors and windows, build makeshift extensions, and rig up satellite dishes and solar panels.