Saturday, February 20, 2010

Band-e-Amir Lake - Afghanistan

And the last card send by Chiara was this one from Afghanistan.
"Band-e Amir (meaning "Commander's Dam"--a reference to the Commander of the Faithful, Iman Ali, the first imam of the Shia Muslims and the fourth Caliph of the Sunni Muslins) refers to five lakes high in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Central Afghanistan at approximately 3000 meters elevation, west of the famous Buddhas of Bamiyan. They were created by the carbon dioxide rich water oozing out of the faults and fractures to deposit calcium carbonate precipitate in the form of travertine walls that today store the water of these lakes.
In 2008, Band-e Amir was finally declared Afghanistan's first national park.

Band-e Amir is situated at approximately 75 kilometers to the north-west of the ancient city of Bamyan, close to the town of Yakawlang. Together with Bamiyan, they are the heart of Afghanistan's tourism, attracting thousands of tourists every year and from every corner of the world.

The Band-e Amir lakes are primarily a late spring and summertime tourism destination, as the high elevation central Hazarajat region of Afghanistan is extremely cold in winter, with temperatures reaching as low as -20C." - in: wikipedia

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