Title
Finding peace and cure in Band-e Amir
Author(s)
J,Price
Abstract
Band-e Amir Park is popular with Afghans in part because it’s one of only a few places in the country where women and children can enjoy themselves outside in safety. Of all the effects of war on Afghanistan, among the most surreal — and perhaps the happiest — are swan boats. On a recent day, nearly 40 of the bird-shaped pedal boats packed with families were meandering around the almost painfully blue mineral waters of the main lake here. From several came one of the rarest public sounds in Afghanistan: women laughing uproariously. For centuries Afghans have believed that the waters of the group of six lakes known as Band-e Amir can cure illness and infertility. Now Band-e Amir also has become the nation’s soothing antidote to the daily horrors elsewhere: improvised bombs, suicide attacks and bribe-hungry police. Partly that’s due to the peacefulness and startling beauty of the remote region, which is tucked away high in the Hindu Kush of central Afghanistan, and partly it’s because four years ago it became Afghanistan’s first national park. "The full paper is available for purchase from the www.gulf-times.com and abstract is available at this link"
Keywords
Band-e-Amire,National park,Tourist,Six lakes,Dams,Female ranger

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DMX1470200000