Bamyan Province (Persian: بامیان) 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.
Read more about Bamyan Province: History, Demographics, Education, Tourism
Famous quotes containing the word province:
“Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing their Zeal for the Publick, let it not be against those who are perhaps of the same Family, or at least of the same Religion or Nation, but against those who are the open, professed, undoubted Enemies of their Faith, Liberty, and Country.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)