That one there in the distance is 180 feet high. That's 57 meters carved out of living rock, the height of a 20-storey building. But I want to get much closer. For that, I need permission. So I climb the Bamiyan citadel and ask the Taliban. This medieval fortress is both a ruin and a strategic outpost. The Taliban tell me this place is called the city of noise. It's deathly quiet now, but it got its name because of the cries of people slaughtered here by Genghis Khan more than 800 years ago. The killing went on for days.

"You can die just as horribly up here today. Coz this whole mountain is full of mines. Any step just off trails here, and you dead."

News from the Taliban commander is not good. The Buddhas are of military significance. Access will almost definitely be denied. While Abdul keeps up the pressure, we stay in the local village. These are the Hazara people, and I'm told the Taliban would rather we didn't have much contact with them.

The Hazara are the descendants of Genghis Khan's warriors. They want independence for their valley which is probably why the Taliban don't entirely trust them. At the moment, there is an uneasy truce between the Taliban and the Hazara.

But the Hazara not only seem to want to contact with us, they want me to play in one of their volleyball teams. We film discreetly. Officially, the Taliban has banned all the sports in Afghanistan. Well, obviously no one told the Hazara.