A green valley below the Buddha niches
Bamiyan is a high green valley in central Afghanistan, once an important Buddhist centre on the Silk Road. Its sandstone cliff is honeycombed with monks' caves and holds the two giant niches where colossal standing Buddhas were carved in the sixth century; the statues were destroyed in 2001, and the valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruined fortresses of Shahr-e Gholghola and Shahr-e Zohak stand nearby, and Band-e Amir, Afghanistan's first national park, is a chain of deep blue lakes held back by natural travertine walls.