Bamiyan Province
Encyclopedia
Bamyan Province is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan
. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is also called Bamyan. The majority of the population are Hazaras, with 16% Sadat
, 15% Tajiks, and Pashtuns
and Tatars
in smaller numbers. 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, Persian and Buddhist art were combined into a unique classical style, known as Greco-Buddhist art.
varmayana ("coloured"). Many statues of Buddha are 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.
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.
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 Team
s throughout Afghanistan. It is recognised as one of the safest provinces in the country, which has allowed for civil rebuilding.
There are currently New Zealand Defence Force personnel in Bamyan. To date they have helped with reconstruction work including building bridges and schools as well as maintaining security in the region.
The New Zealand Police are also working in the region to help train the Afghan National Police (ANP). In July 2006 three Afghan women signed to join the ANP in Bamyan, the first time women have joined a police force in Afghanistan. They are assisted by several United States law enforcement professionals.
of the province is Habiba Sarabi
, Afghanistan's first and, so far, only female governor; she was appointed in 2005.
, a warm area of eastern Afghanistan, and then transferred to Bamyan for spring re-planting.
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.
Provinces of Afghanistan
The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan. As of 2004, there are thirty-four provinces in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts....
. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is also called Bamyan. The majority of the population are Hazaras, with 16% Sadat
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
, 15% Tajiks, and Pashtuns
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
and Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
in smaller numbers. Bamyan is the largest province in the Hazarajat
Hazarajat
The Hazarajat is the original homeland of the Hazara people, and lies in the central highlands of Afghanistan, among the Koh-i-Baba mountains and the western extremities of the Hindu Kush. Its physical boundaries, however, are roughly marked by the Bamiyan Basin to the north, the headwaters of...
region of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, 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
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
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, Persian and Buddhist art were combined into a unique classical style, known as Greco-Buddhist art.
History
Bamyan was the site of an early Buddhist monastery from which Bamyan takes its name from the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
varmayana ("coloured"). Many statues of Buddha are 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
Buddhas of Bamyan
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters...
, 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
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
'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
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and explosives.
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
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
. 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.
Daizangi
Daizangi is one of the major tribes of the Hazaras of Hazarajat in central Afghanistan. They inhabit the Bamian, Uruzgan, Panjao and Waras districts of Bamyan Province, Sahristan District in Daikundi Province and the Gizab District in Urozgan Province...
and for its natural beauty. The Band-e Amir
Band-e Amir
Band-e Amir 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...
lakes in western Bamyan province continue to be a tourist destination for Afghans.
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 Team
Provincial reconstruction team
A Provincial Reconstruction Team is a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRTs were first established in Afghanistan in late 2001 or...
s throughout Afghanistan. It is recognised as one of the safest provinces in the country, which has allowed for civil rebuilding.
There are currently New Zealand Defence Force personnel in Bamyan. To date they have helped with reconstruction work including building bridges and schools as well as maintaining security in the region.
The New Zealand Police are also working in the region to help train the Afghan National Police (ANP). In July 2006 three Afghan women signed to join the ANP in Bamyan, the first time women have joined a police force in Afghanistan. They are assisted by several United States law enforcement professionals.
Governors
The current governorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the province is Habiba Sarabi
Habiba Sarabi
Dr. Habiba Sarabi is a hematologist, politician, and reformer of the post-Taliban reconstruction of Afghanistan. In 2005, she was appointed as governor of Bamyan Province by President Hamid Karzai, becoming the first woman to ever be a governor of any province in the country...
, Afghanistan's first and, so far, only female governor; she was appointed in 2005.
Districts
| District | Capital | Population | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamyan | Bamyan | 73,200 | ||
| Kahmard Kahmard District Kahmard is a district of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 1,475 meters, with a population of 31,042. Kahmard is situated 140 km from Bamiyan city, in the north of the province, and is divided into five valleys... |
Kahmard Kahmard Kahmard is a town and seat of Kahmard District in Bamyan Province in northern Afghanistan.-External links:**... |
32,200 | Transferred from Baghlan in 2005 | |
| Panjab Panjab District Panjab district is in the central part of Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan. The capital is the town of Panjab. Panjab contains 5 valleys , the water running through the 5 valleys meet in the centre of the district... |
Panjab Panjab, Afghanistan Panjab is the capital of Panjab District - a mountainous district in the central part of the Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. The town is situated at 34°23'N 67°1'E and has an altitude of 2,758 m altitude, the population was 9,900 in the year 2004. There is an heliport with gravel surface.- External... |
60,400 | ||
| Sayghan Sayghan District Saighan is a district in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of 23,215 . It was created in 2005 from part of Kahmard District, and until 2004 was part of Baghlan Province. Saighan city is the largest town in the district as well as being the administrative center. The district has... |
Sayghan | 21,200 | Transferred from Baghlan and created within Kahmard District Kahmard District Kahmard is a district of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 1,475 meters, with a population of 31,042. Kahmard is situated 140 km from Bamiyan city, in the north of the province, and is divided into five valleys... in 2005 |
|
| Shibar Shibar District Shibar District is located in the western end of the Bamyan Province in Afghanistan. It is in a mountainous region. The main village Shibar is at 2,637 m altitude on the all-seasons secondary road from Bamyan to Kabul through the Shibar pass.The northern portion of the district, beginning near the... |
Shibar | 26,100 | ||
| Waras Waras District Waras District is a mountainous district in the southern part of Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. Its population is about 100,000 people, who are entirely Hazara, according to AIMS data. The main village is Waras... |
Waras | 96,700 | ||
| Yakawlang Yakawlang District Yakawlang District is located in the northwestern part of Bamyan Province. Its population is about 80,000 predominantly from the Hazara ethnic group. The capital city Yakawlang formerly held 60,000 residents, and it was completely destroyed by Taliban forces in 2001... |
Nayak | 77,500 |
Agriculture
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 JalalabadJalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
, 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 UniversityBamiyan University
Bamiyan University is located in Bamiyan Province, central Afghanistan, part of the Hazara-populated region known as the Hazarajat.-Pre-Taliban:...
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.
External links
- Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. http://www.zharov.com/dupree/index.html
- Bamyan Development Community Portal for cultural heritage management of Bamyan
- Afghanistan Information Management Services - Bamyan Province