Magical Bamiyan

Bamiyan, also known as Hazara-jat is home of the mongol looking Afghans (Hazaras) who were descendants of Genghis Khans army. When Buddhism reached Afghanistan it settled in Bamiyan. What was left of a once flourishing community are empty caves and three gaping holes where towering statues of the Buddha carved on a mountain face once stood watching over a very picturesque valley. All it took was blind ideology of the taliban and a few stick of dynamite and a great Afghan heritage was blown to boulders and dust.

The Hazaras are a likable lot. Their agricultural practices seems more advanced and developed compared to the rest of the country. It is also a very safe place. We walked around and not once felt threatened or unsafe.

The pictures below does not do justice to the magic of Bamiyan.

The site where the Buddhas once stood is now a protected area. We went on a tour with a guide. We climbed up steep steps and winded through a labyrinth of caves. All the vertigo and breathlessness was rewarded with a magnificent view of the valley and snow capped mountains on the horizon.