The Hephthalite (White Hun) art at Bamiyan 6th-8th C. CE
"Three things shine before the world and cannot be hidden. They are the moon, the sun, and the truth..." (The Essence of Buddhism, 1907) The Buddhas of Bamiyan date to the period of Hephthalite (White Hun) rule in the region. Around the Buddhas were murals of the Hunnic rulers and donors who commissioned the works of art. Carved into the mountains were chambers with additional artworks, mostly Buddhist-themed but there are also some Iranian/Zoroastrian elements. The murals of the Huns and the two giant Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The Hunnic murals were probably the oldest oil paintings in the world according to the Archaeological Institute of America: "In 2008, their research revealed that paint samples from 12 of the caves contained "drying oils," most likely walnut and poppy-seed oils, which are key ingredients in oil-based paints. In the ancient Mediterranean world, drying oils were used in medicines, cosmetics, and perfumes. Schola