national park Band-e Amir

Afghanistan / Bamiyan /
 lake, nature conservation park / area, national park

Band-e Amir (Persian: بند امیر) is a series of six deep blue lakes separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit. The lakes are situated in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Central Afghanistan at approximately 3000 meters of 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. Band-e Amir is one of the few rare natural lakes in the world which are created by travertine systems, all of which are on UNESCO World heritage list. In 2009, Band-e Amir became Afghanistan's first national park.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°50'2"N   67°10'33"E
  •  214 km
  •  472 km
  •  544 km
  •  578 km
  •  621 km
  •  733 km
  •  770 km
  •  879 km
  •  898 km
  •  939 km
This article was last modified 14 years ago