Band-e Amir National Park (; ) is located in the central

Bamyan Province Bamyan, also spelled Bamiyan, Bāmīān or Bāmyān (), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan with the city of Bamyan as its center, located in central parts of Afghanistan. The terrain in Bamyan is mountainous or semi-mountainous ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. It was established on 22 May 2009 as Afghanistan's first

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

to promote and protect the natural beauty of a series of intensely blue lakes created by natural dams high in the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

. Band-e-Amir is a chain of six lakes in the southern mountainous desert area of the national park. The lakes formed from mineral-rich water that seeped out of faults and cracks in the rocky landscape. Over time, the water deposited layers of the mineral

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

that built up into walls that now contain the water. The

Balkh River The Balkh River (; ) or Balkhab, also known in its upper reaches as the Band-e Amir River, is a river in northern Afghanistan. The river rises in the Band-e Amir lakes in Bamyan Province in the Hindu Kush. The river flows west, then north, and te ...

originates here and flows to

Balkh Province Balkh (Dari and , ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts and has a population of about 1,509,183, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The city o ...

in the north. According to CBC who conducted an interview with Mustafa Zahir, who was the head of Afghanistan's environmentalist 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, in her book "Flora!", Abdullah Barat embarked on a campaign to sway the Environmental Protection Agency and Mustafa Zahir, the grandson of Afghanistan's last king, towards an alternative vision. Through persistent advocacy and impassioned pleas, Abdullah Barat succeeded in convincing the royal figures of Afghanistan to reconsider the fate of Band-e Amir. He highlighted the invaluable ecological and cultural heritage of the region, 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 inaugural national park. This transformational shift in policy not only safeguarded the natural wonders of Band-e Amir but also set a precedent for conservation efforts across Afghanistan. Thanks to Abdullah Barat's determination and advocacy, future generations can now cherish and benefit from the ecological riches preserved within the boundaries of Afghanistan's first national park. According to the

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...

(WCS), who helped the

Afghan government The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and informally known as the Taliban government, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is ...

set up the park, Band-e-Amir is one of the few travertine systems in the world. They were created by the

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

rich water oozing out of the faults and fractures to deposit

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

precipitate In an aqueous solution, precipitation is the "sedimentation of a solid material (a precipitate) from a liquid solution". The solid formed is called the precipitate. In case of an inorganic chemical reaction leading to precipitation, the chemic ...

in the form of

walls that today store the water of these lakes. Band-e Amir is one of the few rare natural lakes in the world which are created by travertine systems. The site of Band-e Amir has been described as Afghanistan's

Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyo ...

, and draws more than 100,000 local and foreign tourists annually. __NOTOC__

History

The name Band-e Amir literally means ''" the Ruler's

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

"'' in

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

which is believed by some to be a reference to

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, the fourth

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of the

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. The area is dominated by ethnic

Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...

, who are estimated to make up around 10 percent of Afghanistan's population. In her 1970 guide to Afghanistan, historian

Nancy Dupree Nancy Hatch Dupree (; October 3, 1927 – September 10, 2017) was an American historian whose work primarily focused on the history of modern Afghanistan. She was the director of the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University and author of five books ...

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 Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film ''

Dharmatma ''Dharmatma'' () is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language thriller film produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The cast includes Khan, Hema Malini, Rekha, Premnath, Imtiaz Khan, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, Ranjeet, Helen, Madan Puri, Jeevan, ...

'', with Feroz Khan and

Hema Malini Hema Malini Dharmendra Deol (born 16 October 1948; ) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician who is currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), representing Mathura constituency since 2 ...

, were filmed at the Band-e Amir National Park. In 2004, Band-e Amir was submitted for recognition as a

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

site. Efforts to make Band-e Amir a national park started in the 1970s, but were then put on hold due to the wars. In April 2009, Band-e Amir was finally declared Afghanistan's first national park. 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 ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, field ranger, or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands and Protected area, protected areas – private, national, state, provincial, or local parks. Their duties include ( ...

Geography

Band-e Amir is situated at approximately to the north-west of the ancient city of

Bamyan Bamyan (), also spelled Bamian or Bamiyan, is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 100,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an altitude of about above sea level. The ...

, close to the town of

Yakawlang Yakawlang also romanized as Yakaolang () was a city of 76,000 people (est. 2011) in Yakawlang District, Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. It is the capital of Yakawlang District with an altitude of . It was significantly destroyed by Taliban forc ...

. Together with

Bamyan Valley Bamyan (), also spelled Bamian or Bamiyan, is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 100,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an altitude of about above sea level. The ...

, 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 . 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 A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRT ...

diving team from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. 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

High in the

at approximately above sea level, the national park has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Dsc DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

) closely bordering on a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Dsb). The climate is extremely severe and the lakes freezing over in winter. File:Contrasts (4292970991).jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-2.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-3.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-4.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-5.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-6.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-7.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-8.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-10.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-11.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-12.jpg, File:Band-e-Amir National Park-9.jpg, The Band-e Amir Lake File:BandeAmir1.jpg, One of the Lakes at Band-e Amir Area File:BandeAmir2.jpg, Another Lake at Band-e Amir Area File:Band e Paneer.jpg, Band-e Panir

Current status

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 , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

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 Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

inside the park. Hanafi called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found.

Important bird area

A tract overlapping the national park has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports populations of

Himalayan snowcock The Himalayan snowcock (''Tetraogallus himalayensis'') is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs w ...

s, Hume's larks,

white-winged snowfinch The white-winged snowfinch (''Montifringilla nivalis''), or snowfinch, is a small passerine bird. Despite its name, it is a sparrow rather than a true finch. Taxonomy In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description ...

es, Afghan snowfinches and Eurasian crimson-winged finches. It was reported that there are over 170 bird species in the park.

References

Bibliography

* Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): ''An Historical Guide to Afghanistan''. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization.

External links

* (Mar. 22, 2024) * (Mar. 14, 2024) * (Mar. 11, 2024) * (Dec. 31, 2023) * (Aug. 30, 2023) * (Aug. 18, 2020) {{authority control National parks of Afghanistan Geography of Bamyan Province Hazarajat Lake groups of Afghanistan Landforms of Bamyan Province Reservoirs in Afghanistan Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in Afghanistan Important Bird Areas of Afghanistan