In Persian, Band-e-Amir means the lake of the Amir. Most travellers say that Band-e-Amir is the most wonderful site in Afghanistan. Each one remembers what he experienced by arriving in front of these turquoise blue waters surrounded by rocky, imposing and beautiful walls. The six Band-e-Amir lakes appear as a hidden treasure in the desert. If, in September 1973, the region became a national park, it is no coincidence.Unfortunately, this law has never passed in the official gazette and, over the last 30 years, the country has priorities other than the protection of its nature. At the end of 2007, the Afghan government ordered the destruction of all the shops that lined the lakes. It is therefore no longer possible to restore it. Treat yourself to a snack if you're going to spend the day, because the nearest tchaikhana is one and a half hours away… In 2008, Band-e-Amir became Afghanistan's first national park.The legend of Band-e-Amir. The sanctuary on the shores of Lake Haïdat was built 90 years ago. It is known as Qadamjoy Shah-I-Aulia, the place where Ali was. The birth of these beautiful lakes in a landscape if desert is attributed to Hazrat Ali, cousin of the prophet Mohammed. This creation is the subject of several versions. However, they mention the encounter between Barbar, an unfaithful king with an iron hand on the lands of the Hindu Kush, and Hazrat Ali, author of miracles on the territories of the king. One day King Barbar wanted to build a dam downstream from his capital. He sent over 1 000 slaves to deal with it, but in vain… It was impossible to contain the river. Enervé had failed his project and already schoolchild, he became even more unbearable and his people suffered. Among his victims, a young man who was unable to pay an exorbitant sum of money claimed was taking off his wife and children. He was desperate for Hazrat Ali, whom he found near Samangan. Together, they developed a plan according to which the young man had to entrust Hazrat Ali and, without revealing his true identity, propose selling him to Barbar as a slave. Barbar was interested and agreed to buy it by paying his gold weight, but that under three conditions. The first stipulated that the slave should construct the dam desired by the king. The second was to kill the dragon in Bamiyan. And the third one is brought to him the slave (Hazrat Ali) chained. All these tasks had to be completed in one day. At the king's court, one did not believe a word. But Hazrat Ali, offended, climbed up to the top of the mountain, giving great shots that made rocks fall: This is how the Lake-e-Haïbat lake was created. Then he took his sword and suddenly cut another big piece of the mountain: The Lake-e-Reducing lake was created. At the same time, Ali, Ali's assistant, gave a hand to his master by creating the Band-e-Qambar. And, thanks to the presence of Ali, the thousand slaves who worked so hard succeeded in carrying out their tasks: Band-e-Gholaman was created. A woman who had observed these spectacular miracles moved to Ali and presented her with a cheese she had just made. Hazrat Ali placed this cheese in the river and it became the Band-e-Panir, near which pousse mint grows on Lake-e-Pudina. It is said that the woman who offered the cheese to Hazrat Ali is the ancestor of the family who now cares about the shrine of Band-e-Amir.Geography. Located 45 km west of Bamiyan, in Yakawlang district, Band-e-Amir is a group of six lakes in the Hindu Kush, the large mountain chain crossing Afghanistan from East to West. We could almost believe in artificial lakes, and yet everything here is absolutely natural. These stretches of water come from sources rich in carbon dioxide born from mountain crevices. Gradually, a calcium deposit was formed, giving rise to the waterfalls we know today. Large reeds border these lakes. Here, altitude ranges up to 3 800 m for the mountains. As for the lakes, they are about 2 900 m.As soon as spring arrives, snow begins to melt in the lakes. Then there are important floods. In the band-e-Amir region, the climate is continental. The temperature gaps are enormous, both within a day and between the various seasons. In summer, it can be very hot and the sun is strong, because we are at high altitude.

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Sur la route, entre Bamiyan et Band-Amir, un désert à perte de vue. Constance de Bonnaventure
Les étendues bleues turquoise des lacs de Band-e-Amir. Constance de Bonnaventure
Papillon monarque. LindaYolanda - iStockphoto.com
Les étendues bleues turquoise des lacs de Band-e-Amir. Constance de Bonnaventure

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