Last Updated on: 27th April 2026, 06:00 am
Today, the name Bamyan is most associated with the infamous destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan at the hands of the Taliban in 2001. While we will be discussing that incident below, we shouldn’t let that one tragedy overshadow everything else the region has to offer, including historical sites like Shahr-e-Gholghola and Shahr-e-Zohak.
Now largely inhabited by ethnic Hazaras, Bamyan was an important city along the ancient Silk Road for centuries. And until Islam became the dominant religion from around the 8th century, it was long a major stronghold of Buddhism.
Bamyan is both a city and a province, with the city sitting at around 2,500 meters above sea level. It can even be chilly in summer, but the sun is incredibly strong. And unless you’re accustomed to extreme cold, skip winter here entirely.
While this guide focuses on Bamyan’s historical sites, the region is also one of Afghanistan’s – and arguably the world’s – most beautiful. As you explore the ancient ruins, you’ll repeatedly have to pause to take in the breathtaking scenery. (Think of Bamyan as the Afghan Cappadocia.)
Following this guide to Bamyan’s three prominent historical sites, you can find info on transport and accommodation at the end of the article.
Bamyan Permits & Tickets
As with every Afghan province, you’ll need to obtain a permit from the local Ministry of Information & Culture office upon your arrival (this is in addition to the main permit obtained in Kabul). Note that these offices are always closed on Fridays, while they typically close at midday on Thursdays.
You’ll need a local permit first before obtaining the Bamyan combo ticket (600 AFN). Note that there are a lot more places pictured on the ticket than what is currently accessible. At the time of writing, the ticket offers access to three main sites: Shahr-e-Gholghola, the Buddhas of Bamyan, and Shahr-e-Zohak.
Though Band-e-Amir National Park is also pictured, the combo ticket is only valid for one day, and it would be impossible to include it. Instead, you can just buy a separate ticket at the park entrance for 410 AFN.
At the time of writing, you’ll need to start with Shahr-e-Gholghola first, as that’s the only location currently selling the combo tickets.
If you arrive in Bamyan late on Thursday or on a Friday, you’ll have to wait until Saturday to visit these sites. If that happens to you, consider visiting the Dragon Valley on a Friday instead, as that site is free to enter and unguarded. (See our dedicated guide for more.)
In my case, I arrived in Bamyan on a Thursday afternoon. But fortunately, a hotel staff member took my papers to the office for me just before closing and returned with my Bamyan permit.
Shahr-e-Gholghola
While I normally prefer to present things in chronological order, as mentioned above, Shahr-e-Gholgola is the only place currently selling Bamyan combo tickets. So we’ll be covering things in the order that most tourists are likely to visit.
Shahr-e-Gholghola can be reached in about 15-20 minutes on foot from central Bamyan. On the way, you’ll pass by tranquil wheat and potato fields, and it won’t be long before you see the ruined hilltop citadel in the distance.
After presenting your permit and getting your combo ticket, it’ll be time to start your ascent.
At the time of my visit, I frequently encountered multiple paths to take, with no signs suggesting a route for visitors. So I mostly just freely explored the area.
It was only after my trip that I learned that Shahr-e-Gholghola had been mined during the previous civil war! But with no on-site warnings, I’m guessing that the Taliban has recently de-mined the site. But who really knows.
Shahr-e-Gholghola came to be in the late Sasanian period during the 6th century. And then following Buddhism’s decline in the 8th century, it served as Bamyan’s main center of Islam.
But how did it end up in such a sorry state?
Shahr-e-Gholghola had long been a stronghold of the Ghorid Empire, a mighty kingdom which controlled most of modern-day Afghanistan and large parts of India.
And in the 12th and 13th centuries, Bamyan was controlled by a semi-autonomous branch of the Ghorid dynasty.
We know that by the 13th century, much of the Ghorid’s territory was taken over by the Khwarazmian Empire and was ruled by a man named Jalal al-Din Mangburni.
Confusingly, however, it appears that the Shahr-e-Gholghola was still under the control of the Ghorids at the time of its demise.
In any case, according to legend, the local leader’s daughter had been upset that her father married a princess of Ghazni. The Ghorids were longtime rivals of the Ghaznavids, and they’d taken over much of Ghazni’s territory to form the Ghorid Empire.
And so the Ghorid princess left Shahr-e-Gholghola in protest to live elsewhere at a fortress called Qala-e-Dokhtar (it’s unclear precisely where this is, but supposedly nearby).
The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, then invaded the region in 1221. And upon their arrival in Bamyan, Mutukhan, Genghis Khan’s grandson, was killed by an arrow while trying to invade Shar-e-Zohak. He was just 15 years old at the time.
Genghis Khan himself then arrived in Bamyan and sacked Shar-e-Zohak (more below). He was also determined to destroy Shahr-e-Gholghola, but the citadel was impenetrable.
And so the leader’s daughter, still feeling betrayed, sent a message to Genghis Khan. If he would take her hand in marriage and spare her own fortress, she would reveal the secret entrance of her father’s citadel, she told him.
The Mongol leader agreed.
And so the Mongols, upon finding the secret entrance that had been obscured by the water of a canal, made their way in and killed everyone inside.
Shahr-e-Gholghola is actually a more recent term which means the ‘City of Screams’ in reference to the brutal massacre which took place here.
Unfortunately for the leader’s daughter, she would end up killed, too. Genghis Khan felt that if she were willing to betray her own father, she might betray him at some point in the future as well.
He did, at least, keep part of his promise by sparing her fortress.
Exploring the ancient citadel, I encountered ruined foundations and towers that appear as if they’ve remained untouched since the 13th century. But a lot of other sections appear to have recently been rebuilt.
Aside from Shahr-e-Gholghola’s historical significance, a top highlight for many will be enjoying the spectacular views of the Bamyan Valley in all directions (you can even see the Buddhas of Bamyan in the distance).
The natural beauty of this region cannot be understated.
The Buddhas of Bamyan
When finished with Shahr-e-Gholghola, you can then proceed to the Buddhas of Bamyan in about 30 minutes on foot. You’ll pass through the town center on the way, so you may also want to make a brief stop for a meal.
As mentioned, unless things change, at the time of writing, you’ll need to obtain your Bamyan ticket at Shahr-e-Gholghola and then show it to the guards here. You cannot purchase a new one at this site.
It’s also worth mentioning that although most people in Bamyan are friendly, a lot of local teenagers will be eager to talk with you and follow you around to ‘practice their English.’ But in the end, they’ll usually request some kind of tip for their ‘guide services.’
Therefore, if you don’t want to end up in that situation, be clear with everyone from the start that you don’t want a guide and can’t offer any money.
Entering the site, I headed right toward the eastern portion of the niches, where the smaller of the two large Buddhas is situated – or at least what’s left of it.
Buddhism was first brought to the area by Ashoka of the Indian Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC. And though the region was also heavily influenced by Greek and Persian culture, Buddhism would become the prominent religion here from around the 2nd century AD during Kushan rule.
And it would remain the prominent religion of Bamyan until around the 8th century AD.
Though sources disagree on when the massive Buddhas were carved here, it probably happened in the 6th century. Bamyan was under the rule of the Hephthalites at this time. Ironically, it was the Hephthalites who sacked the major Buddhist center of Taxila.
In addition to carbon dating, the 6th-century date is likely accurate because the Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian made no note of large standing Buddha sculptures during his visit to Bamyan. He did, however, mention a thriving Buddhist community.
But another traveling Chinese monk, Xuanzang, passed through in the 7th century and did write about them in his journal.
He even mentioned a massive reclining Buddha sculpture here, but oddly, no trace of it seems to remain.
The smaller of the two massive Buddha sculptures stands at 38 m high. It’s believed to be the older of the two, predating the larger one by several decades.
For whatever reason, locals refer to this one as the ‘Lady Buddha,’ even though there’s no indication that it was ever meant to be female.
The walls and ceiling of the massive niche were once adorned in colorful murals. Fascinatingly, their iconography and style showed influence from both ancient Sogdia and Chinese Buddhist grottoes, such as those of Dunhuang.
The outline of the sculpture can still be made out, while at its base, you can see large sandstone rocks that that were once part of it.
In fundamentalist interpretations of Islam, any depiction of the human form is considered taboo, as it’s likened to idol worship.
During the Taliban’s first period of rule, they initially stressed the need of preserve Afghanistan’s ancient heritage. But they reversed the policy in early 2001, resulting in the infamous destruction of the standing Buddhas here.
Ironically, now that the Taliban is back in power, they’re earning revenue from visitors coming to see the Buddhas of Bamyan’s remains.
For what it’s worth, the new Taliban regime does seem to have taken a softer stance, and they’re once again officially declaring the importance of preserving Afghanistan’s ancient sites.
There’s a lot more to this huge sandstone cliff than just the ancient Buddha images. Throughout the centuries, numerous chapels and shrines were carved out of the rock, with their number totaling around 1,000.
Xuanzang observed that roughly half of Bamyan’s caves were inhabited at the time of his visit. They were likely carved between 450 and 850 AD, while additional caves were created in the surrounding valleys.
As tragic as the event was, the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan actually revealed dozens of new caves that had previously been hidden. But today, only a handful are accessible to visitors.
Many of the caves were decorated with mural paintings, though only fragments remain. Incredibly, the murals of Bamyan are actually the world’s oldest examples of oil paintings.
Painted from around the 6th-8th centuries AD, the paintings show influence from Sasanian Persia and the Gupta Empire of India.
The various chambers and caves of Bamyan are accessible via a labyrinth of staircases and tunnels. Many of them are situated high up in the sandstone cliff and provide excellent views of the Bamyan Valley and the distant mountains.
I’d been exploring the caves with a local I met on the way over (I clearly expressed that I didn’t want a guide). And while we were in the upper section, a Taliban guard shouted out to us that we better come down, as he was about to go pray and he’d be locking the gate!
We scrambled to find our way out of the cave system, rushing along narrow corridors and up and down steep staircases. Luckily, we made it out without getting trapped inside. But the experience was certainly a first for me at a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Next, we proceeded west toward the larger Buddha. But on the way, we passed by a large collection of rocks that were once part of the original sculptures.
According to my new local friend, during the previous regime, archaeologists salvaged and compiled the remnants of the Buddhas of Bamyan with hopes of reconstructing the sculptures someday.
While I’m neither a sculptor nor a geologist, I just don’t see how that could ever be possible.
The larger of the two main Buddha niches stands at around 55 m high. Only the outline remains, while scaffolding has been placed within to prevent a potential collapse.
While obviously no longer apparent, the Bamyan Buddhas were influenced by earlier Gandhara sculpture. Bamyan lies just outside of the historical Gandhara region, an area where the world’s first Buddha statues were sculpted in the 1st or 2nd centuries AD.
Gandhara sculpture itself was heavily influenced by ancient Greek art as a result of Alexander the Great’s soldiers who stayed behind.
(For more info on Gandhara art, see our guides to Peshawar, Taxila, the Lahore Museum, Chandigarh and the National Museum of India.)
Interestingly, neither of the main Bamyan Buddha sculptures were pure carved sculptures. Rather, stucco was added to the sandstone to create the details. And in addition to the murals along the walls, the Buddhas themselves were originally painted.
There are yet more caves on the western section of the sandstone cliff, yet none of the ones here were accessible at the time of my visit.
But we did encounter a much more recent historical relic: a Soviet tank leftover from the Afghan-Soviet War.The ruined buildings behind it, meanwhile, are said to be much more newer than Bamyan’s historical prime.
Shahr-e-Zohak
Shahr-e-Zohak is about a 20-minute drive outside of central Bamyan. My hotel staff helped arrange a taxi for me for 400 AFN roundtrip.
While there was no ticket check at the site itself, the guard at the checkpoint to the east of the city did want to see it as we were leaving.
Shahr-e-Zohak was situated along an entry point into the Bamyan Valley, and therefore played a key role in Silk Road trade.
It featured both a Lower and an Upper Citadel, and it’s a rather steep climb to make it to the very top. But along the way, you’ll pass by numerous ruined structures.
It was likely controlled by the Hephthalites from the 5th-9th centuries, followed by the Ghaznavids, and then the Ghorids.
Above, we went over the story of the destruction of Shahr-e-Gholghola. But it was the death of Genghis Khan’s grandson at the hands of an arrow right here at Shahr-e-Zohak that prompted the Mongols to ravage the entire area.
The site is nicknamed ‘The Red City,’ which could be a reference to all the blood that was spilled here. Or perhaps it refers to the red bricks of many of the structures.
In any case, Shahr-e-Zohak is a Persian name that does not translate to ‘Red City.’ Rather, it means the ‘City of Zohak.’ But ‘Zohak’ is more commonly spelled in English as Zahhak, one of the main villains of Persian folklore.
Zahhak first appeared in the Zoroastrian Avesta which was likely composed around 600 BC. In it, he’s described as an evil three-headed serpent known for sowing chaos.
Much later, Zahhak became a major character in the Persian national epic, the Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi in the 11th century AD.
Appearing relatively early in the massive poem, Zahhak is portrayed as a prince who falls under the control and influence of Ahriman, the Zoroastrian personification of evil. And Zahhak successfully took the throne from the world’s ruler at the time, Jamshid.
Following his encounter with Ahriman, Zahhak had snakes living on both of his shoulders that needed to feast daily on human flesh. And as king, Zahhak demanded daily human sacrifices to satiate them.
His reign of terror then lasted for hundreds of years until he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the hero Fereydun.
It’s unclear when or why the name Shahr-e-Zohak originated. But walking through the ruined fortress, surrounded by stunning yet barren, jagged mountains, the place feels strangely fitting for a ruler like Zahhak.
Still, coming here was among my favorite experiences in Bamyan.
Regarding the Shahnameh, it’s absolutely worth a read for those coming here, as a large portion of the epic’s first half takes place in modern-day Afghanistan. The English translation by Dick Davis is generally regarded as the most accessible.
On the way back to the city, my driver also stopped along the highway for me to see additional cave dwellings. While modern houses now stand in front of them, a lot of the caverns are apparently still used by locals for various purposes.
Additional Info
Given its location, most tourists are going to be visiting Bamyan from Kabul, and then returning to Kabul before moving on to another destination. Bamyan just doesn’t have many direct connections with other provinces.
Coming from Kabul, you’ll first want to head to the place called ‘Bamyan Terminal’ on Google Maps. (Also double-check with your hotel first to confirm.)
Getting to the terminal is a journey in its own right. It takes about 30-40 minutes from the Shar-e Naw district, and I paid 400 AFN to get there.
There aren’t any regular buses departing from this terminal – just shared taxis and minivans. Fortunately, the taxi driver who brought me also helped me negotiate with a shared taxi driver for Bamyan.
I paid 700 AFN to sit in the front seat for the journey to Bamyan. Note that in Afghanistan, you usually have to pay extra for the front seat, which I often did because I like placing my backpack in front of me. (If you’re female, you’ll probably have no choice but to sit in the front seat or perhaps even the trunk.)
As with shared taxis in other countries, the driver will only depart when full. I had to wait around an hour at the terminal, and we didn’t depart until around 11:00.
Without stopping, the drive to Bamyan should take around three hours, but we did stop for lunch along the way.
Finally, we made it to Bamyan Province, and I experienced a rather difficult security check shortly before town (not far from Shahr-e-Zohak).
The Taliban guards had me fill out a form with my basic info which was all in English. But for whatever reason, they kept asking the other passengers with me (some of whom I’d gotten to know a bit over lunch) if I was traveling with a translator or guide.
They seemed adamant that I was supposed to be accompanied by an official guide during my journey, even though this was NOT the rule in Afghanistan or Bamyan at the time of my visit.
They were quite grumpy about not being able to communicate with me, but at the same time, they didn’t have any specific questions for me that weren’t already on the form I filled out. Eventually, they let me (and my fellow passengers) go.
Bamyan is easily my favorite destination in Afghanistan, but the local Taliban in the province were by far the most stressful to deal with. (I’d have more strange encounters later on in my stay.)
Finally getting to town, the local Bamyan terminal is situated not far from the market. I was able to walk to my hotel, Noor Band Qala, in about ten minutes on foot.
LEAVING BAMYAN: As mentioned, regardless of where you’re headed next, you’ll likely have to first return to Kabul after your stay in Bamyan. So just follow the steps above in reverse.
But also note that the ‘Bamyan Terminal’ in Kabul mentioned above also has shared taxis to Ghazni. Therefore, you can easily make it from Bamyan to Ghazni on the same day just by switching vehicles at that terminal. See our upcoming Afghanistan itinerary for more info.
I would highly recommend Noor Band Qala Hotel, which is where most foreigners seem to stay in Bamyan.
Note that outside of Kabul, you’re going to have a hard time finding accommodation on sites like Booking. So you’ll often have to reserve places in Afghanistan by contacting them on WhatsApp first (or sometimes just showing up).
At the time of writing, you can contact Noor Band Qala at +93 77 107 1854.
I paid 1500 AFN per night, which included a private bathroom and breakfast (only served from 6:00-8:00!). The staff were very helpful and connected me with reliable drivers to places like Shahr-e-Zohak and Band-e-Amir National Park. As mentioned above, they also helped me with the local permit.
I stayed in a number of hotels throughout Afghanistan for around 1500 AFN, but this was among the most spacious and clean for the price. They even have hot water.
The Wifi mostly worked well, but it wasn’t always consistent. So be sure to get a SIM card in Kabul that you can use as a hotspot.