Top 8 Places to Visit in Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Buddhas of Bamiyan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. There is a Gautama Buddha statue in the location which is located northwest of the city. The statue has built-in year 554 in Afghanistan. However, it got multiple attacks from Mongolic and Turkic Khaganates in the past. Statues also destroyed by the Taliban in the year 2001 and it is blown up.

In 2011, statues has been restored with the help of United Nations. Now it is getting many visitors from nearby countries of Afghanistan.

Historical Gholghola City was existing for ages ago and then the city has been destroyed by Genghis Khan in the 13th century. The siege of the city has taken months. It is defended by one of old Turkish Khaganates but the city falls. The city ruins still standing in the center of Gholghola City. It will be a good experience for you to visit this location, if you ever visit Bamiyan.

Zuhak was a city and was a citadel in the 13th century. It was a neighbor of Gholghola city. It was conquered by Genghis Khan and destroyed by Mongolic forces. It hasn’t restored again. You can still see the ruins of the city in the east of Bamiyan.

Paymuri Hot Spring is one of the beautiful landscapes of Bamyan City. It is also close to Shahr-e Zuhak city. If you would like to see beautiful landscapes near the city, this will be a good opportunity for you.

Paymuri Hot Spring is not very famous location but it is very beautiful for sure. It is a good place to be away from the city crowd for some time. There is also ruins of Zahak nearby where you can travel through walking in a few minutes.

Band-e Amir is one of the most touristic landscapes of Afghanistan and it is one of those must-see locations of the country. The closest location to Band-e Amir National park is Bamyan. You will need to travel to the city first and take a road to this beautiful park. You will see many beautiful lakes and mountain landscapes here.

There are multiple lakes in the park. You will need a vehicle to visit this location completely. So I recommend you to rent a car or hair a taxi driver before your visit.

There are many beautiful lakes in the park which is called as Band-e-Haibat, Band-e-Zulfiqar. They are popular with landscapes. You can always prefer to visit those lakes to have awesome shots with your camera.

Yakawlang is one of the beautiful towns located in the Bamyan district. If you have any extra time to visit locations in Bamyan, this town will be a good opportunity for you. There are many beautiful nature and mountain landscapes here. The town damaged seriously because of the civil war. However, it still keeps the natural beauty.

Sayghan is a little town in Afghanistan which is close to Bamyan city. The city has about 23000 population. There is a historical castle of the city which has been built in the 9th century. If you would like to visit a historical place in Bamyan, this will be a good place for you.

Chil-burj is a historical castle ruin which is located far west of the province. It is close to Band-e Amire National Park and Yakawlang. The history of the castle is unknown yet. However, it is said it has been built by Turks after Islam era in the location.

Other Locations That You Will Love to Visit

These are other locations that you should consider to visit in Bamiyan city:

• Diamond Hill: Located in the city center. You can see some good landscapes in this location.
• Tulwara: Located in the city center. It will be a different experience to see this location for you.
• Bamyan Cultural Center: It is one of the most important landmarks of the city.
• Azhdar Natural Park: It is also known as “Ajdar” and it means Dragon in English. This is another must-see location in the city.
• Shah Foladi: Shah Foladi is a mountain peak where is close to the city. It has beautiful landscapes. However, I recommend this location only for mountaineers.

Bamiyan City

Bamiyan is one of the most beautiful cities in Afghanistan where offers multiple opportunities for tourists. You can find good locations to stay and good restaurants when we compare it with other similar cities in the country. There are also good shopping locations which you can find good items as a souvenir.

According to resources, the city has been built in 3000 before Christ. The city has been attacked by Mongolic, Turkic and Chinese tribes for several times in the past. There are more than 100000 people living in the city at the moment. It is very important city for Buddhists because of the historical Buddha statues. The city is also a member of the creative cities network of UNESCO at the moment.

How to Travel Bamyan?

Bamyan is very close to capital Kabul which will take a few hours to travel to the city by car. However there is still an airport in the city, you can always prefer to fly to the city from other major cities of Afghanistan. Such as Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Mazari Sharif. It will take less than an hour to travel to the city with a flight. We recommend you to check airplanes before your travel. It is possible to find tickets from Kabul to Bamiyan anytime but we can’t tell you the same for other major cities yet.

If you have already visited Bamiyan city and would like to make some suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below to improve this article for others who will visit this location.