Band-e-Amir Lakes
| Band-e-Amir Lakes | ||
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| Band-e Panir lake - one of the seven lakes | ||
| Geographical location | Bamiyan ( Afghanistan ) | |
| Tributaries | Rud-e Band-e Amir | |
| Drain | Balch | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 34 ° 50 '23 " N , 67 ° 13' 51" E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 3000 m | |
| surface | 598.5 ha, of which 487.5 ha belong to the Band-e Haibat | |
The Band-e-Amir chain of lakes (from Persian بند امیر, DMG Band-e Amīr , 'Reservoir of the Commander') is located in the province of Bamiyan in the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan and consists of six lakes, which are dammed up like the Plitvice Lakes by naturally created travertine dams. Since 2009 they have been designated as the first national park in Afghanistan.
The travertine dams were created where the water fell in ravines over a step or was otherwise swirled and thus the pressure and temperature conditions of the river changed. This led to the precipitation of calcium carbonate dissolved in the water . Organisms such as colonies of cyanobacteria and chlorophyta , mosses and algae play a role in holding the lime in place so that it is deposited as travertine and formed the dams.
The valleys were glaciated at least twice in the Quaternary , and the dams were created in the warm periods.
The seven lakes
The individual lakes with their associated travertine dams have the following names:
- Band-e Haibat (Lake / Dam of Wrath)
- Band-e Zulficar (lake / dam of the sword based on the epithet of Ali's double-edged sword)
- Band-e Qanbar (lake / dam of the Qanbar)
- Band-e Panir (lake / dam of the cheese)
- Band-e Gholaman (sea / dam of the slaves)
- Band-e Pudina (Lake / Dam of Mint)
The one in the immediate vicinity does not belong to the actual chain of lakes
- Kassa Band ( Schüsselsee or Kesselsee )
A former eighth lake has now dried up.
Tell me about the origin
When Mohammed , the founder of Islam , died in AD 632, his father-in-law seized religious power in Arabia . Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet , who many viewed as a much more worthy successor, was forced into exile . The speculation about Ali's whereabouts led to the following legend: Ali reached Afghanistan with his loyal servant Kambar before Islam had gained a foothold here. In the valley of Band-e Amir , the two were surprised by an evil prince who wanted to take them prisoner. Ali cursed and escaped over a mountain, from where he threw a stone down on his pursuers. The fall of this stone triggered a landslide , which in turn dammed up the flowing river and in this way led to the formation of a lake. This lake and its natural dam was named Band-e Haibat. Ali knocked another boulder loose with his sword, creating the Band-e Zulficar. At a signal from his master, Kambar created the third lake by filling up the Band-e Kambar. Ali then threw several wheels of cheese that the women of the area had prepared for him into the river, creating the Band-e Panir. Slaves whom Ali released from the oppressive rule of the tyrant created the Band-e Gholaman. The sixth and final dam, Band-e Pudina, was formed when Ali threw fresh mints into the river.
National park
The region is an undulating plateau at around 3000 m, cut by the canyon of the lakes. Some surrounding mountains reach up to 3700 m . In the area around the lakes there is a particularly extreme continental climate due to the altitude . Frost can be observed continuously from November to March, the vegetation period of four to five months begins with the end of the rainy season in May. The precipitation is low at around 300 mm / a and determines the steppe vegetation. The plain is characterized by steppe plants, especially Artemisia and thorn cushions determine the picture. They are characterized by grazing with sheep and goats.
The rock of the region is characterized by sand-lime stones, the character of which ranges from sandy-marl to clayey. The plateaus of the surrounding table mountains are stratified limestone or limestone conglomerates. The soils come from weathering and have no pronounced horizons. In moist places forms waterlogging , here meadows may arise with corresponding humus soils. Salt efflorescence is visible where the wet meadows dry out .
Screw goats and urials live in the vicinity of the lakes , the fish fauna is heavily polluted by the practice of dynamite fishing with hand grenades . The government hopes that the designation of the area as a national park in April 2009 will stimulate tourism.
literature
- Ulrich Jux, Eugen Karl Kempf: Reservoirs through travertine heels in the high mountains of central Afghanistan. In: Journal of Geomorphology. New series, supplement volume , 12, Berlin / Stuttgart 1971, ISSN 0044-2798 , pp. 107-137.
- Alfred Dieterle: Vegetation studies in the area of Band-i-Amir (Central Afghanistan) In: Dissertationes Botanicae Vol. 24, teaching 1973, ( ISBN 3-7682-0923-7 ).
Web links
- Rebuilding Bamiyan , 25-minute video about Bamiyan, the lakes in part 2, on Al Jazeera English
- Pictures from 1978
- Encyclopædia Iranica: BAND-E AMĪR , English lexicon article with references
Video The video blogs of the ARD correspondents Dilli, Dilli - stories from Delhi by Markus Spieker, November 11, 2016, 9:13 a.m., 8 min., Accessed on November 14, 2016
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Afghan Online: Afghanistan Rivers and Lakes
- ↑ a b c Encyclopædia Iranica
- ↑ Emir is the English variation of the Arabic word Amir. In Iranian languages Amir means (such as Pashto , Farsi or Dari , Balochi and Kurdish ) Mir according to Prince .
- ↑ named after Qanber, the servant of Imam and Caliph Ali , the cousin and son of the Prophet Mohammed was
- ↑ Unless otherwise stated, the description of the area and its vegetation is based on: Alfred Dieterle: Vegetation Studies in the Area of Band-I-Amir (Central Afghanistan) . Dissertation, Munich 1973
- ↑ BBC : Afghans get first national park , April 22, 2009 (accessed August 19, 2009)