Bamiyan's famous Buddhas, destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, were recreated recently by a Chinese couple who used special effects to project the figures into the now empty niches they once stood in.

The recreation of the Buddhas earlier this month was part of a government-organized event to celebrate Bamiyan's milestone of becoming the cultural capital of the South Asian Association for regional Cooperation (SAARC) for the year 2015. The event was held over two days and for both days the two Buddhas stood tall in their niches thanks to technology.

Zhang Xinyu and his wife, Lian Hong, were the brains behind the project and recreated the Buddhas by using special lighting technology that included halogen lamps and quartz glass masks – a technique they said would not damage the existing niches carved out of the cliffs.

Bamiyan was home to the two giant Buddha statues that stood in their niches for about 1,600 years. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed them using mortars and dynamite - leaving behind only the niches they once stood in.

Local residents welcomed the event and expressed their excitement over the "show".

"It's a very historic moment for us, and I think the moment reminds us of our history, something that was destroyed during the Taliban time. And we were very unhappy about that. This cannot fill the empty place of [the buddhas], but it's something that reminds us that it is not dead," said Javad, a local resident.

After the show, the couple donated the lighting equipment to the local department of heritage protection – which hopes to reproduce the images in March every year from now on.

The Bamiyan Buddhas were two 6th-century standing statues carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in central Afghanistan. Built in 507 AD (the smaller one) and 554 AD (the larger one), the statues represented the classic and blended style of Gandhara art.

They were destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban on orders from their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.

"Although it is just a light, it can shine into Bamiyan and light up the Buddhas. I think it can at least tell people that once there existed a beautiful place, there existed profound culture and long history. We hope the use of lighting technology can show our respect to the culture and history," said Liang Hong.

Speaking at the recent ceremony, Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish said that the decision to mark Bamiyan as SAARC's cultural center for 2015 is one of country's biggest achievements in recent years. At the same time he called on SAARC members and other countries to help Afghanistan return Bamiyan to its rightful place in history.