Band-e Amir Becomes Afghanistan National Park

A cascading collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan's first national park


History
Band-e Amir was to become Afghanistan's first national park in the 1960s, but due to the instability of the Kabul government at the time, this did not happen. In 2004, Band-e Amir was submitted for recognition as a World Heritage site.In 2008, Band-e Amir was finally declared Afghanistan's first national park.

Geography

Band-e Amir is situated at approximately 75 kilometers to the north-west of the ancient city of Bamyan, close to the town of Yakawlang. Together with Bamyan, they are the heart of Afghanistan's tourism, attracting thousands of tourists every year and from every corner of the world. The six constituent lakes of Band-e Amir are:

Band-e Gholaman (slaves)
Band-e Qambar (Caliph Ali's slave)
Band-e Haibat (grandiose)
Band-e Panir (cheese)
Band-e Pudina (wild mint)
Band-e Zulfiqar (the sword of Ali)

Band-e Haibat is the biggest and the deepest of the six, with an average depth of approximately 150 meters, as estimated by the PRT diving team from New Zealand.
The white travertine dams created by fault lines, which are prevalent in the Band-e Amir Valley, form the barriers between the lakes.

Another comparable lake is Band-e Azhdar (The Dragon), located a few kilometres southeast of the town of Bamyan, which has also been created as a result of carbon dioxide rich water oozing out of the faults underground and depositing calcium carbonate precipitate to form the travertine walls of Band-e Amir.

Band-e-Amir is seen in this undated photo in Bamiyan province of Afghanistan. The cascading collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan's first provisional national park Wednesday, April 22, 2009 as the violence-plagued nation took a big first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures. (AP Photo)