The Notre-Dame fire is as sad as the destruction of Bamiyan Buddhas
Former President Hamid Karzai tweeted that the fire at the 650 years old iconic cathedral was as sad as the destruction of the centuries old Bamiyan Buddhas
Photo: Embassy of Afghanistan
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Kabul: A fire ripped through the fabled 850 years old Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, destroying its roof, toppling the spire and threatening the remaining structure of the building.
Former President Hamid Karzai in a tweet said that the destruction of parts of the iconic cathedral was as sad as the destruction of the famous Buddha statues of Bamyan. “Notre-Dame, a world monument, a French sentiment, went through the pain of fire last night. I felt as sad as when the Buddhas of Bamyan were destroyed.” the tweet said.
In March 2001, Taliban insurgents destroyed the centuries old Buddha statues at Bamiyan. They were subsequently blown apart and left in rubble. While the Taliban insurgents thought that they had succeeded in destroying what was world over considered as one of the wonders of the world, the Buddha status of the Bamyan valley have begun to shine again in the towering cutouts in the mountainside where they stood for centuries. They are back through 3-D light projections, and look great.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also reacted to the damage of Notre-Dame, which is a loss for world heritage. “France has been a long-standing partner in discovery and rehabilitation of historic monuments in Afghanistan. We share France’s agony and hope for Notre-Dame’s full restoration soon,” Abdullah said in a tweet message.
The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, said the cathedral had suffered “colossal damages”, and the emergency services were trying to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored in the cathedral. The wooden interior has been destroyed.
At the same time two French billionaires have pledged to donate a total of 300 million euros to help reconstruct the Notre-Dame.
Their donations came as Paris firefighters declared Tuesday morning that “the entire fire is out”.
“A group of experts are analyzing all of the structures to establish the next stages,” Paris fire brigade spokesperson Gabriel Plus told reporters, quoted in a report by BuzzFeedNews.
François-Henri Pinault, chair and CEO of the international luxury group Kering, which includes Gucci and Saint Laurent, on Monday night announced that he and his family would donate 100 million euros to the cathedral’s reconstruction.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the businessman, who is also president of holding company Groupe Artémis, which owns the fine arts auction house Christie’s, wrote: “My father [François Pinault] and I have decided to release as of now from the funds of Artemis a sum of 100 million euros to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame.”
