October 05, 2009 By Antoine Blua
The Bamiyan Valley is nestled among green fields, ochre cliffs, and eroded geological wonders in Afghanistan’s central highlands.
In recent history, it is best-known for the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. The dynamiting of the two giant statues, carved into sandstone cliffs along the ancient Silk Road in the sixth century, sparked an international outcry.
But tourists continue to be attracted to the site’s cultural riches and ancient ruins that remain, including the network of caves dug into the rock face by Buddhist monks.
Another attraction is nearby Band-e Amir, a series of deep blue lakes that became the centerpiece of Afghanistan’s first national park earlier this year. The park is home to the ibex goat and to the urial sheep, along with the Afghan snow finch, the only bird found exclusively in Afghanistan.
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The Bamiyan central highlands today draw thousands of Afghan tourists annually (as well as foreigners living and working in the country). And the nonprofit Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is implementing a program to help local people to welcome foreign visitors back.
http://www.rferl.org/content/Afghans_Prepare_For_Tourism_Development/1843909.html
Ismailimail 