Bamyan Province

Bamyan بامیان
Province
Various places in Bamyan province
The location of Bamiyan province within Afghanistan
Coordinates (Capital): 34°45′N 67°15′E / 34.75°N 67.25°E / 34.75; 67.25
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Bamyan
Government
• Governor	Abdullah Sarhadi[1]
• Deputy Governor	Atiqullah Atiq[2]
Area [3]
• Total	18,029.2 km2 (6,961.1 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[4]
• Total	522,205
• Density	29/km2 (75/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Postal code	16xx
ISO 3166 code	AF-BAM
Main languages	Dari and Hazaragi

Bamyan Province also spelled Bamiyan, Bāmīān or Bāmyān (Persian: ولایت بامیان)^[5] is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan with the city of Bamyan as its center, located in central parts of Afghanistan.

The terrain in Bamyan is mountainous or semi-mountainous, at the western end of the Hindu Kush mountains concurrent with the Himalayas. The province is divided into eight districts, with the town of Bamyan serving as its capital. The province has a population of about 495,557^[6] and borders Samangan to the north, Baghlan, Parwan and Wardak to the east, Ghazni and Daykundi to the south, and Ghor and Sar-e Pol to the west. It 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.

It was a center of commerce and Buddhism in the 4th and 5th centuries.^[5] In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans that crisscrossed the region, trading between the Roman Empire, Han Dynasty, Central Asia, and South Asia. Bamyan was a stopping-off point for many travelers. It was here that elements of Greek and Buddhist art were combined into a unique classical style known as Greco-Buddhist art.

The province has several famous historical sites, including the now-destroyed Buddhas of Bamiyan, around which are more than 3,000 caves, the Band-e Amir National Park, Dara-e Ajhdar, Gholghola and Zuhak ancient towns, the Feroz Bahar, Astopa, Klegan, Gaohargin, Kaferan and Cheldukhtaran.