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Band-e Amir National Park

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Overview

Band-e Amir National Park (Dari: پارک ملی بند امیر; Pashto: د امیر بند ملي پارک) is located in the central Bamyan Province of Afghanistan. It was established on 22 May 2009 as Afghanistan's first national park to promote and protect the natural beauty of a series of intensely blue lakes created by natural dams high in the Hindu Kush. Band-e-Amir is a chain of six lakes in the southern mountainous desert area of the national park. The Balkh River originates here and flows to Balkh Province in the north.

Band-e-Amir is one of the few natural lakes in the world which are created by travertine systems. They were created when water with dissolved minerals oozed out of the faults and fractures deposited calcium carbonate precipitate. Over time, the water deposited layers of the mineral travertine that built up into walls that now contain the water.

The site of Band-e Amir has been described as Afghanistan's Grand Canyon National Park, and draws more than 100,000 local and foreign tourists annually.

Facts

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,245 words

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Beyond the Lakes: Visiting the Hinterland

Most visitors focus on the turquoise basins, but the surrounding plateau offers a rare glimpse into high‑altitude nomadic life. Small villages dot the ridges, where shepherds still tend yak and goat herds using age‑old trans‑humance routes. A short trek from the main lake circuit brings you to a seasonal market where wooly blankets are woven on simple looms and dried apricots are exchanged for tea. Timing your arrival for the early autumn harvest lets you sample freshly pressed pomegranate juice while the air turns crisp, making the walk up to the travertine walls feel like a solitary pilgrimage rather than a tourist stop.

Seasonal Rhythm and Practical Access

The park’s climate swings between stark winter freeze and a brief, bright summer. While the lakes sparkle most vividly from June to September, the high desert floor can experience sudden thunderstorms that swell the water and temporarily close some boardwalks. Planning a visit in late May or early October balances milder temperatures with fewer crowds, and the road from Bamyan is more reliable than during the monsoon‑prone months. Hiring a local driver who knows the intermittent checkpoints and can negotiate with occasional security posts adds a layer of safety and often yields stories about the area’s recent history.

Comparative Landscape: Band‑e Amir and Lake Districts

For travelers familiar with Europe's lake districts, Band‑e Amir presents a contrasting geological narrative. Instead of glacial carve‑outs, the Afghan lakes are sculpted by mineral deposits from hot springs, yielding steep, white travertine cliffs that frame the water like natural amphitheatres. The stark, arid backdrop of the Hindu Kush adds a sense of isolation that few European sites can match. Pairing a week in Bamyan with a side trip to the nearby Shahr-e Gholghola ruins creates a thematic journey through both natural and cultural layers of Afghanistan, a duality rarely found in more homogenised lake‑tourism circuits.

Introduction

First National Park of Afghanistan "Band-e Amir" redirects here. For the cricket team, see Band-e-Amir Dragons. For places in Iran, see Band-e Amir, Iran. Band-e Amir National ParkIUCN category II (national park)View of the lakes at the national park in 2012Band-e Amir National ParkInteractive map of Band-e Amir National ParkLocationBamyan Province, AfghanistanNearest cityYakawlang, BamyanCoordinates34°50′23″N 67°13′51″E / 34.83972°N 67.23083°E / 34.83972; 67.23083Area606.16 km2 (234.04 sq mi)EstablishedMay 22, 2009Visitors169,900 (in 2018) Band-e Amir National Park (Dari: پارک ملی بند امیر; Pashto: د امیر بند ملي پارک) is located in the central Bamyan Province of Afghanistan. It was established on 22 May 2009 as Afghanistan's first national park to promote and protect the natural beauty of a series of intensely blue lakes created by natural dams high in the Hindu Kush. Band-e-Amir is a chain of six lakes in the southern mountainous desert area of the national park. The Balkh River originates here and flows to Balkh Province in the north. Band-e-Amir is one of the few natural lakes in the world which are created by travertine systems. They were created when water with dissolved minerals oozed out of the faults and fractures deposited calcium carbonate precipitate. Over time, the water deposited layers of the mineral travertine that built up into walls that now contain the water. The site of Band-e Amir has been described as Afghanistan's Grand Canyon National Park, and draws more than 100,000 local and foreign tourists annually.

History

[edit] Further information: History of Afghanistan The name Band-e Amir literally means "the Ruler's Dam" in Dari which is believed by some to be a reference to Ali, the fourth Caliph of the Muslims. The area is dominated by ethnic Hazaras, who are estimated to make up around 30 percent of Afghanistan's population. In her 1970 guide to Afghanistan, historian Nancy Dupree wrote that a full description about Band-e Amir would "rob the uninitiated of the wonder and amazement it produces on all who gaze upon it". Parts of the 1975 Bollywood film Dharmatma, with Feroz Khan and Hema Malini, were filmed at the Band-e Amir National Park. Efforts to make Band-e Amir a national park started in the 1970s, but were then put on hold due to the wars. According to CBC[unreliable source?] who conducted an interview with Mustafa Zahir, who was the head of Afghanistan's Environmental Protection Agency at the time, before Band-e Amir was established as Afghanistan's first national park there were plans to utilize the area for a hydrodam project. This potential threat to the natural beauty and ecological significance of the region prompted Abdullah Barat, a Hazara activist hailing from the Shaidan Valley and the head of the sub-office of Future Generations in Bamyan, to take action recognizing the importance of preserving this pristine landscape. According to Flora MacDonald, the former Foreign Minister of Canada who was working in Afghanistan at the time, Barat embarked on a campaign to sway Mustafa Zahir towards an alternative vision, highlighting the ecological and cultural heritage of the region, and emphasizing its potential as a national treasure rather than a mere resource for development. Barat's efforts ultimately led to a pivotal decision: the designation of Band-e Amir as Afghanistan's first national park. In 2004, Band-e Amir was submitted for recognition as a World Heritage site. In April 2009, Band-e Amir was finally declared Afghanistan's first national park. This shift in policy also set a precedent for conservation efforts across Afghanistan. By 2023, the number of local and foreign tourists visiting the Band-e Amir National Park was over 100,000. The area is monitored by park rangers.

Geography

[edit] Further information: Geography of Afghanistan Band-e Amir National Park as seen from space Band-e Amir is situated at approximately 75 km (47 mi) to the north-west of the ancient city of Bamyan, close to the town of Yakawlang. Together with Bamyan Valley, they are the heart of Afghanistan's tourism, annually attracting over 100,000 local and foreign tourists, as of 2023. The Band-e Amir lakes are primarily a late spring and summertime tourism destination, as the high elevation central Hazarajat region of Afghanistan is extremely cold in winter, with temperatures reaching as low as −20 °C (−4.0 °F). The six constituent lakes of Band-e Amir are: Band-e Gholaman (Lake of the slaves) Band-e Qambar (Lake of Caliph Ali's slave) Band-e Haibat (Lake of grandiose) Band-e Panir (Lake of cheese) Band-e Pudina (Lake of wild mint) Band-e Zulfiqar (Lake of the sword of Ali) The white travertine dams created by fault lines, which are prevalent in the Band-e Amir Valley, form the barriers between the lakes. Band-e Haibat is the biggest and the deepest of the six, with an average depth of approximately 150 metres, as estimated by the Provincial Reconstruction Team diving team from New Zealand. Another comparable lake is Band-e Azhdahar (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. Climate[edit] High in the Hindu Kush at approximately 2,900 m (9,500 ft) above sea level,[citation needed] the national park has a subarctic climate (Dsc) closely bordering on a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dsb). The climate is extremely severe and the lakes freezing over in winter. Climate data for Band-e Amir National Park Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Daily mean °C (°F) −14.2(6.4) −11.5(11.3) −4.9(23.2) 2.3(36.1) 7.3(45.1) 13.0(55.4) 14.8(58.6) 13.8(56.8) 9.3(48.7) 2.9(37.2) −3.2(26.2) −9.9(14.2) 1.6(34.9) Average precipitation mm (inches) 61.9(2.44) 82.3(3.24) 86.9(3.42) 77.5(3.05) 45.4(1.79) 6.3(0.25) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 19.4(0.76) 29.4(1.16) 44.2(1.74) 453.3(17.85) Source 1: RedPlanet.travel Source 2: ClimateCharts.net(Precipitation) The Band-e Amir Lake One of the Lakes at Band-e Amir Area Another Lake at Band-e Amir Area Band-e Panir

Current status

[edit] After the formal establishment of the park in 2009, a park office with a park warden and a group of rangers was installed to manage the conservation and protection of the park's natural resources. The WCS is the only non-government organization with an office in the park. The WCS supports park staff and works with the local community to promote conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Ecotourism is expected to decrease local economic dependency on the park's natural resources. Tourists visit Band-e-Amir primarily in the summer months when the weather is warm. A poor local economy and limited outside investment have hampered efforts to attract winter tourism. The local people in Band-e-Amir National Park rely heavily on the park's natural resources for their livelihood. Grazing of livestock, collection of shrubs for fuel and winter fodder and rain-fed farming is still widely practiced within the park boundary. Although the illegal hunting of birds and a few mammals living in the park is formally prohibited by the park office, there is no current data to evaluate the status of wildlife and biodiversity. In August 2023, the Taliban banned women from entering the park, with the acting Minister of Virtue and Vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, alleging that women had not been observing hijab inside the park. Hanafi called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found. Important bird area[edit] Further information: Wildlife of Afghanistan A 41,000 ha (100,000 acres) tract overlapping the national park has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Himalayan snowcocks, Hume's larks, white-winged snowfinches, Afghan snowfinches and Eurasian crimson-winged finches. It was reported that there are over 170 bird species in the park.