The ruined city of Shahr-e Zohak in the Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

The ruined city of Shahr-e Zohak in the Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

A boy takes his goats to graze in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A boy takes his goats to graze in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Farmers return to their village with their donkeys loaded with fodder in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

The barren hills of the Bamiyan valley in central Afghanistan appear to promise little, but snowmelt irrigates the fields, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A famer works in potato fields with the ancient Buddha niches visible in the distance in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Local transportation, a boy goes to market through potato fields, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

An Afghan farmer smiles for the camera in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Shepherd boy takes a break in the hot sun in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A farmer cuts purple flowers which will be used as fodder, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A distant house in the grasslands with views of mountains in the distance, Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Donkeys are the main source of transport in rural Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

A small village in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Boy threshing with oxen, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

The Koh-e Baba mountains make an impressive backdrop in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A shepherd with his sheep and goats in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

An Afghan farmer holds a seedling carefully in her hands in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Mud village in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

A close up of wheat ripening in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Boy threshing with oxen, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Pai Mori Gorge, between Kabul and Bamiyan (the southern route), Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Tourist and locals at the Magenta cliffs near Shahr-e-Zohak (Red City), between Kabul and Bamiyan (the southern route), Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Empty niche in the cliff where one of the famous carved Buddhas once stood, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, Bamiyan, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Boys threshing with oxen, Bamiyan, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Threshing with oxen, Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, Asia

Cliffs with empty niches where the famous carved Buddhas once stood, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, Bamiyan, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Asia

Young boys on donkeys watch over flocks of goats, sheep and donkeys near the top of the Shebar Pass, which crosses into the Province of Bamiyan. Due to a devastating drought in the region, dry wheat farming has failed for three years from 1998-2002 and the forage is extremely sparse, The pass is a strategic point leading into the Central Highlands, the Koh-i-Baba range and the Hazarajat, at the end of the Hindu Kush. Most of the people of this region are of the Hazara tribe, and are Shi'a Moslems who have been persecuted for centuries by many of the Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan, who are from the Sunni sect.

Afghan man in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hindu Kush mountains reflections in Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara farmers & donkeys laden with brushwood along the Shahidan Pass in winter, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Qadamjoy Shah-i-Aulia Shrine beside the Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Band-i-Zulfikar (Dam of the Sword of Ali) - Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Boy and girl on a donkey in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hindu Kush mountains reflections in Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara farmers & donkeys laden with brushwood along the Shahidan Pass in winter, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Remains of the old Hazar bazaar destroyed by the Taliban in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Panoramic view of Bamiyan and the escarpment with hundreds of caves and the niche that contained the Small Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Mud houses in Shibar, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Mud fort near Sharh-e-Zohak (The Red City) at the entrance to the Bamiyan Valley, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Old watchtower in the Shahidan Valley, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Qadamjoy Shah-i-Aulia Shrine beside the Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Mud fort at the confluence of the Bamiyan and Kalu rivers near Sharh-e-Zohak at the entrance to Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara man in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Afghan man in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Water cascading down the travertine walls of Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara woman and donkey in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

View of the Bamiyan Valley from ruins of the citadel of Shar e Gholgola, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

People by a samovar on a house by the entrance of the Pai Mori Gorge, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Large scaffolding for the emergency consolidation of the niche of the Small Buddha, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

The Islamic city of Shar e Gholgola at Bamiyan was destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1221. The ruins of the citadel are also known as the City of Sighs., Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Qadamjoy Shah-i-Aulia Shrine beside the Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara man in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Shepherd and his flock of sheep on a path by the Pai Mori Gorge, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Shibar Pass, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Band-i-Zulfikar (Dam of the Sword of Ali) - Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Panoramic view of the town of Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Afghan men in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Tilled fields near Shibar, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hindu Kush mountains reflections in Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hindu Kush mountains reflections in Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Boy sitting on a parked motorcycle at the bazaar in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Water cascading down the travertine walls of Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Water cascading down the travertine walls of Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Afghan doctor dispensing medicines at a restaurant in Bamiyan, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Hazara farmers & donkeys laden with brushwood along the Shahidan Pass in winter, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Shahidan Pass, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Water cascading down the travertine walls of Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan

Water cascading down the travertine walls of Band-i-Haibat (Dam of Awe), Band-i-Amir, Bamian Province, Afghanistan