Bamyan Province

Bamyan بامیان
Province
The location of Bamiyan Province within Afghanistan
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Bamyan
Area
• Total	14,175 km2 (5,473 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	418,500
• Density	30/km2 (76/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
Main languages	Persian (Hazaragi / Dari)

Bamyan Province (Template:Lang-fa) can be translated as ‘The Place of Shining Light’; is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country, with a population of about 418,500. Its capital is also called Bamyan. Bamyan is the largest province in the Hazarajat region of Afghanistan, and is the cultural capital of the Hazara ethnic group that predominates in the area.

In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans which criss-crossed the region trading between the Roman Empire, China, Central and South Asia. Bamyan was a stopping off point for many travellers. It was here where elements of Greek and Buddhist art were combined into a unique classical style, known as Greco-Buddhist art.

Bamyan has several famous historical sites, including the famous Buddha statues with more than 3,000 caves around it, the Band-e Amir, Dara-i-Ajhdar, Gholghola and Zakhak ancient towns, the Feroz Bahar, Astopa, Klegan, Gaohargin, Kaferan and Cheldukhtaran.

History

Further information: History of Afghanistan

Bamyan Valley is home to the giant ancient Buddha statues, at least what is left of them after the Taliban destroyed them in 2001.

The region was ruled by the Medes before it fell to the Achaemenids. In 330 BC, Alexander the Great seized the area but left it to Seleucids to rule. The area south of the Hindu Kush was given to the Mauryas who introduced Buddhism. It became the site of an early Buddhist monastery from which Bamyan takes its name from the Sanskrit varmayana ("coloured"). Many statues of Buddha were carved into the sides of cliffs facing Bamyan city. The two most prominent of these statues were standing Buddhas, now known as the Buddhas of Bamyan, measuring 55 and 37 meters high respectively, that were the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world. They were probably erected in the 4th or 5th century A.D. They were cultural landmarks for many years and are listed among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. In March 2001 the Taliban government decreed that the statues were idolatrous and ordered them to be demolished with anti-aircraft artillery and explosives.

By the 7th century, when the Arabs first arrived, it was under the control of the Kabul Shahi before being conquered in the name of Islam by the Saffarids in the 9th century. It fell to the Ghaznavids followed by the Ghurids before the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The area was ruled by Arghun Khan of Ilkhanate, later by the Timurids and Mughals.

Band-e Amir in Bamyan Province

In 1709, when the Hotaki dynasty rose to power in Kandahar and defeated the Persian Safavids, Bamyan was under the Mughal Empire until Ahmad Shah Durrani made it become part of his new Durrani Empire, which became to what is now the modern state of Afghanistan. During the 1980s to the mid-1990s, the area was controlled by warlord Abdul Ali Mazari. In 1995, Bamyan was captured by the Taliban. They were toppled by US-led forces in late 2001.

The Buddhist remains at Bamyan were included on the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund. It is hoped that the listing will put continued national and international attention on the site as a whole (including, but not limited to, the statues) in order to ensure its long-term preservation, and to make certain that future restoration efforts maintain the authenticity of the site and that proper preservation practices are followed.

Bamyan is also known as the capital of Daizangi and for its natural beauty. The Band-e Amir lakes in western Bamyan province continue to be a tourist destination for Afghans and foreigners.

Bamyan is currently the base of operations for the New Zealand peacekeeping force, a Provincial Reconstruction Team codenamed Task Group Crib, which is part of the network of Provincial Reconstruction Teams throughout Afghanistan. It is recognised as one of the safest provinces in the country, which has allowed for civil rebuilding.

Politics

Governors

Further information: List of governors of Bamyan

The current governor of the province is Habiba Sarabi, Afghanistan's first and, so far, only female governor; she was appointed in 2005.

Demographics

The population of Bamyan Province is around 418,500. Ethnic Hazaras 100% web|url=http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/Bamyan.html |title=Cultural and conflict Studies, Bamyan Province |publisher=Naval Postgraduate School |accessdate=2012-07-25}}</ref> followed by smaller number of Pashtuns and Tatars.

Districts

Districts of Bamyan Province.

Districts of Bamyan Province

District	Capital	Population (2003 CSO figures)	Area	Notes
Bamyan	Bamyan	70,028		Ethnic groups: Hazara, Tajik.
Kahmard	Kahmard	31,042		Transferred from Baghlan in 2005. Ethnic groups: Tajik, Hazara, Tatar, Pashtun.
Panjab	Panjab	48,397		Ethnic groups: Hazara.
Sayghan	Sayghan	23,215		Transferred from Baghlan and created within Kahmard District in 2005. Ethnic groups: Tajik, Hazara.
Shibar	Shibar	22,933		Ethnic groups: Hazara.
Waras	Waras	82,119		Ethnic groups: Hazara
Yakawlang	Nayak	100,158		Ethnic groups: Hazara.

Economy

Agriculture

A small boy in a potato field in Bamyan

Bamiyan has been particularly famous for its potatoes. The region is also known for a "shuttle system" of planting, wherein seed potatoes are grown in winter in Jalalabad, a warm area of eastern Afghanistan, and then transferred to Bamyan for spring re-planting.

Education

Bamyan Province is home to the region's only university, Bamiyan University in the city of Bamyan. The school was founded in the mid-1990s, and largely destroyed under the Taliban. It was later refurbished following the fall of the Taliban.

Tourism

Prior to the Soviet invasion of 1979 the province attracted many tourists. Although this number is considerably fewer now, Bamyan is the first province in Afghanistan to have set up a tourist board, Bamyan Tourism. A feature of this developing tourist industry is based around skiing. The province is said to have 'some of the best "outback skiing" in the world' and in 2008 an $1.2 million project to encourage skiing was launched by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) with the help of NZAID, New Zealand government’s international aid agency. The province hosts the Afghan Ski Challenge, a 7km downhill race over ungroomed and powdered snow, founded by Swiss journalist and skier Christoph Zurcher. Tissot, the Swiss watch manufacturer, is the principle sponsor.

See also

• Provinces of Afghanistan
• Hazarajat

External links

• Bamyan Development Community Portal for cultural heritage management of Bamyan
• Afghanistan Information Management Services - Bamyan Province
• Bamyan Tourism - Official site