Bamiyan Buddhas

BuddhistChannel has a good article on the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas.
The writer seems to criticize UNESCO for not wanting to rebuild the statues, a project that would cost an estimated $30 million. Actually, I'm with UNESCO on this. The statues are gone. Their destruction was worse than a crime, it was an act of monumental stupidity. But they cannot be brought back; modern replicas would be just that, replicas. And would the replicas include the eyes, which were excised by a previous generation of bigots? But mostly, there must be a better use of UNESCO's money.

One aspect of this story that interests me is the estimated cost; this translates into a major engineering problem. And yet ancient artisans managed the job with hand-tools. Like I said before, progress is a myth.