Bamyan

Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan

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Bamyan is a high-altitude town and province in central Afghanistan, set in a wide valley around 2,500 meters above sea level between the Hindu Kush and Koh-i-Baba mountain ranges.

Historically located on a branch of the Silk Road, it became famous for the giant cliff-carved Buddha statues (destroyed in 2001) and for nearby natural attractions like the deep-blue lakes of Band-e-Amir National Park, now a major draw for visitors. 

Today Bamyan is known as the cultural heartland of the Hazara people, with scattered farming villages, harsh snowy winters, and growing but still limited road links to Kabul and other regions.