Bamiyan
بامیانA high valley on the Silk Road where two giant Buddhas stood in the cliffs until 2001.
Bamiyan was a Buddhist centre on the routes between Central Asia and India. In the sixth century two colossal Buddhas, about 55 and 38 metres tall, were carved into its cliffs among hundreds of painted caves.
The statues were destroyed in 2001; their empty niches are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. To the west lie the deep-blue lakes of Band-e Amir. The valley is home to the Hazara, who speak Hazaragi, a dialect of Persian.
Cities and towns
Bamiyanبامیان
The valley town below the cliffs
Landmarksبناها و نشانهها
Bamiyan niches
پیکرههای بودای بامیانThe empty niches of the giant Buddhas
Band-e Amir
بند امیرA chain of deep-blue mountain lakes
Bamiyan through time
Iranian historyThe Pahlavi century and afterدوران پهلوی و پس از آن
Two Pahlavi shahs built railways, universities and a centralised state, while poets, novelists and film-makers created a new Persian culture. The era ended with the revolution of 1979.
- Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed
- Bamiyan valley inscribed by UNESCO
- Band-e Amir declared a national park