"Riches do not delight us so much with their possession, as torment us with their loss..." - Dick Gregory
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| (The greaat Buddha of Bamyan) |
Route: KABUL/BAMYAN
Hotel: 4Burj Highland Hotel, Bamyan
This morning the elevator was out of order. We had to climb the stairs to have breakfast at the dining hall on the 5th floor.
At the hotel lobby, met with Abdul Matin Mohamad Azeem, a former Afghan student in UIA. He was the champion for the Pidato Antarabangsa Bahasa Melayu (PABM) Piala Perdana Menteri 2017 at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
This morning we would be heading to Bamyan in two cars. The first car started earlier to buy a walking stick at the bazaar. By 10.30 am the second car departed and we met somewhere at the outskirt of Kabul.
Stopped for lunch at a restaurant half-way to Bamyan. We had crispy fried fish which tasty and delicious wuth pillaf and bread. The restaurant was located on the highland with a view of fresh snow capped mountains. Met two bikers enjoying the twisties of Hisa-i-Awali Bihsud.
Bamyan is the home of the world's oldest oil paintings. At the end of the 10th century, there was a Buddhist culture in which several thousand Buddhist monks lived in caves carved into the mountain. Bamyan is often described as “the place of shining light.” The rolling hills of the Bamiyan valley offer an austere and beautiful landscape of variegated colours.
The central valley sits 2,500 meters above the sea level. Two rivers flow into the valley from sources in the Kuh-e-Baba Mountain: The Kakrak River to the east and the Foladi River to the west. The principal archaeological sites are located in the long east-west central valley of Bamyan and in the Kakrak and Foladi river valleys.
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two possibly 6th-century monumental Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. Located 130 km northwest of Kabul, at an elevation of 2,500 m carbon dating of the structural components of the Buddhas has determined that the smaller 38 m "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 CE, and the larger 55 m "Western Buddha" was built around 618 CE, which would date both to the time the Hephthalites ruled the region.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, it was a holy site for Buddhists on the Silk Road. However, in March 2001, both statues were destroyed by the Taliban following an order given on February 26, 2001, by Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, to destroy all the statues in Afghanistan so that no one can worship or respect them in the future. International and local opinion condemned the destruction of the Buddhas.
Next we drove to the historical Gholghola City or Shahr-e Gholghola. Gholghola City is also known as City of Screams, City of Woe or City of Sorrows. It is is an archaeological site located near the town of Bamyan.
The Siege of Bamyan took place here in 1221 during the Mongol pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire. Mutukan, son of Chagatai Khan and favourite grandson, was killed in battle by an arrow from the besieged walls, which led Genghis to massacre the population of the city and its surrounding region. There were a few other versions to the story of this City of Sorrow.
The sun was already setting on the horizon when we left the ruins of Shahr-e Gholghola and drove to 4Burj Highland Hotel. The weather was 6°C and dropped further during the night.
Dinner was a tasty spicy chicken dish cooked by our local guide, Mr. Hayatullah.
Hotel: 4Burj Highland Hotel, Bamyan
This morning the elevator was out of order. We had to climb the stairs to have breakfast at the dining hall on the 5th floor.
At the hotel lobby, met with Abdul Matin Mohamad Azeem, a former Afghan student in UIA. He was the champion for the Pidato Antarabangsa Bahasa Melayu (PABM) Piala Perdana Menteri 2017 at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
This morning we would be heading to Bamyan in two cars. The first car started earlier to buy a walking stick at the bazaar. By 10.30 am the second car departed and we met somewhere at the outskirt of Kabul.
Stopped for lunch at a restaurant half-way to Bamyan. We had crispy fried fish which tasty and delicious wuth pillaf and bread. The restaurant was located on the highland with a view of fresh snow capped mountains. Met two bikers enjoying the twisties of Hisa-i-Awali Bihsud.
Bamyan is the home of the world's oldest oil paintings. At the end of the 10th century, there was a Buddhist culture in which several thousand Buddhist monks lived in caves carved into the mountain. Bamyan is often described as “the place of shining light.” The rolling hills of the Bamiyan valley offer an austere and beautiful landscape of variegated colours.
The central valley sits 2,500 meters above the sea level. Two rivers flow into the valley from sources in the Kuh-e-Baba Mountain: The Kakrak River to the east and the Foladi River to the west. The principal archaeological sites are located in the long east-west central valley of Bamyan and in the Kakrak and Foladi river valleys.
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two possibly 6th-century monumental Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. Located 130 km northwest of Kabul, at an elevation of 2,500 m carbon dating of the structural components of the Buddhas has determined that the smaller 38 m "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 CE, and the larger 55 m "Western Buddha" was built around 618 CE, which would date both to the time the Hephthalites ruled the region.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, it was a holy site for Buddhists on the Silk Road. However, in March 2001, both statues were destroyed by the Taliban following an order given on February 26, 2001, by Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, to destroy all the statues in Afghanistan so that no one can worship or respect them in the future. International and local opinion condemned the destruction of the Buddhas.
Next we drove to the historical Gholghola City or Shahr-e Gholghola. Gholghola City is also known as City of Screams, City of Woe or City of Sorrows. It is is an archaeological site located near the town of Bamyan.
The Siege of Bamyan took place here in 1221 during the Mongol pursuit of Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire. Mutukan, son of Chagatai Khan and favourite grandson, was killed in battle by an arrow from the besieged walls, which led Genghis to massacre the population of the city and its surrounding region. There were a few other versions to the story of this City of Sorrow.
The sun was already setting on the horizon when we left the ruins of Shahr-e Gholghola and drove to 4Burj Highland Hotel. The weather was 6°C and dropped further during the night.
Dinner was a tasty spicy chicken dish cooked by our local guide, Mr. Hayatullah.
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