Band-e Amir

Band-e Amir is a chain of six lakes high in the Hindu Kush, west of the town of Bamiyan, set in a dry landscape of pale limestone cliffs. In 2009 it was declared Afghanistan's first national park. Band means dam, and the name, “the dam of the Amir”, reflects the lakes' most remarkable feature.

Each lake is held back by a natural wall of travertine, a rock formed when water rich in dissolved minerals deposits calcium carbonate as it flows. Over thousands of years these deposits have built up dams that hold the lakes one above another, with water spilling over their lips in thin falls. The mineral content and depth give the water intense colours, from deep lapis to turquoise, vivid against the barren hills.

Local tradition credits the dams to Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who is said to have created them by miracle, and several of the lakes bear names linked to the story; the largest is Band-e Haibat, “the dam of awe”. A small shrine stands at its edge. Visitors come in summer for walks along the rims and picnics by the water, and pedal boats float on Band-e Haibat. In winter the lakes freeze and the area is almost inaccessible.