Full Post Style - MustVisitPlace.com

Places to Visit in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Asia

Places to Visit in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Asia

Bamiyan is located in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan lying at an elevation level of 2550 meters above sea level having a population of 61863. Bamiyan is one of the largest towns situated in Central Afghanistan located at 240 kms north-west of Kabul. Bamiyan was well known for tallest statues of Buddha which were destroyed by the Talibans and its coordination lies at 34.49’ degree North Latitude and 67.49’ degree East Longitude.

History of Bamiyan:

Bamiyan was part of Buddhist Kushan rule during 5^th century and after the fall of the Kushan Empire it became a part of Kushansha. The Hephthalites conquered Bamiyan in 5^th century until it was captured by Saffarids. Bamiyan came under the rule of Ghaznavids in 11^th century and it was under the control of Talibans who dominated their presence in Bamiyan until they were evicted by the US forces in year 2009.

Places worth seeing in and near Bamiyan:

Buddha Statues:

One of the major tourist attractions of Bamiyan was the location of world’s tallest statues of lord Buddha measuring 175 feet built during Kushan period in 5^th century A.D. The place used to attract several international visitors, until they were destroyed by Taliban in the year 2001.

Bamiyan Valley:

Bamiyan Valley is situated in the slopes of Hindu Kush Mountain Ranges known for their lush greenery and scenic landscapes. The place is also known for 750 caves which used to house many Buddhist monks.

Band- e Amir Lake:

This is one of the fresh water natural lakes situated in Bamiyan known for its crystal clear water that is blue in color. The tourists can also set camps aside the lake which is a thrilling experience.

Shahr-e Golgola:

This place is known for their majestic forts and historic monuments which attracts many tourists from around every corner of the world.

Shahr-e-Zohak (Red Town):

The town is well known for their historic fortress which was built out of sun dried clay. The place attracts many domestic as well as international tourists all round the year.

How to reach Bamiyan in Afghanistan?

Regular air-conditioned Benz buses ply between Kabul and Bamiyan at frequent intervals. Kabul is the nearest city located 240 kms away from Bamiyan. Kabul International Airport is approx 245 kms from Bamiyan where many flights are accessible to different destinations across the world.

When to visit Bamiyan?

Bamiyan can be visited all round the year, but the most ideal time to visit the place would be during winter months where the temperature remains favorable for the tourists. Summers are normally scorchy and dry with maximum temperature hovering above 40 degrees.

Accommodation options in Bamiyan:

Bamiyan has several reputed hotels and guest houses providing good accommodation facilities for the tourists coming to this place. Hotels range from 1 star category to 5 star category offering host of deluxe services and amenities. Some ultra luxury hotels also provide wide Afghan recipes, delicacies and cuisines which are being enjoyed by the tourists. List of hotels located in and near Bamiyan is as follows:

Hotel Maple Leaf Inn
Le Monde Guest House
Hotel The Baron
Hotel Diana Inn
Hotel InterContinental
Hotel Kabul Serena
Hotel Safi Landmark
Hotel Mustafa
Hotel Heetal Plaza
Hotel Capital Inn
Hotel Park Star

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Afghanistan, Asia

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Afghanistan, Asia

Afghanistan is located in Central Asia which has a population of 30 million covering an area of 647500 sq kms bound by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan countries. The National Assembly of Afghanistan consists of 2 legislative bodies which are known as House of Elders and Houses of the People. Afghanistan is a rocky terrain country having rocky mountain ranges where most of them are not been inhabited by people. Afghanistan coordinates with 34.32’ degree North Latitude and 69.08’ degree East Longitude with Kabul being its capital city. Thought

History and meaning of Afghanistan:

Afghanistan is said to be derived from Persian word “Afghan” meaning “Land of the Afghans”. It is said that Afghanistan existed 50,000 years back and was ruled by many kings and rulers such as Achaemenid Empire, Macedonian Empire, Maurya Empire and Islamic Empire. Centuries back Afghanistan was known for its Buddhist religion which was brought by Mauryans and Kushans. Afghanistan also came under the rule of Islam and Mongol invasion. During the early 90’s Afghanistan was under the rule of Talibans who took complete control of the place until they were completely wiped out by US army forces couple of years back.

Places to see in Afghanistan:

Band-e-Amir:

Band-e- Amir is known for their chunk of five lakes which in other terms is also called as lake of jewels. These are naturally formed lakes and color of the water in the lakes is deep blue. It is one of the most popular tourist spot in Afghanistan.

Kabul Museum:

The museum holds one of the prolific landmarks in city of Kabul which has enriched collections of many statues, paintings, artifacts, prehistoric coins, manuscripts and weapons belonging to Kushan Empire and Buddhism which are kept for public display. The museum attracts many national as well as international tourists from all parts of the country.

Minaret of Jam:

This is one of the magnificent built minars which is listed by UNESCO in its world heritage list. This minaret is also called as Minaret of Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad bin Sam and lies on the banks of river Hari Rud.

Panjshir Valley:

Panjshir Valley is known for its natural beauty and scenic landscapes surrounded by lush greenery, mountain cliffs, rivers and deep valleys. Panjshir Valley is located near the Hind Kush Mountain Ranges and is approx 150 kms from Kabul. It is considered to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in Afghanistan.

Tora Bora:

Tora Bora is known for their caves situated atop the White Mountains locally called as Safed Koh and is about 50 kms from Khyber Pass.

Balkh:

Balkh is very well known for its mosque and historic monuments that has a shrine of Hazrat Ali, also called as mosque of nine cupolas. The shrines are known for their splendid Mughal architecture work and a crafted inscription visited by thousands of devotes and tourists all round the year.

Bamiyan:

Bamiyan is known for the two tallest statues of lord Buddha measuring 38 meters and 53 meters which are carved out of hills was a well known tourist spot in this part of the city. Bamiyan is also famous for its forts and monuments.

Connectivity to Afghanistan:

Afghanistan is very well connected by air mode of transport where direct flights are available to Pakistan, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Muscat, Germany, Oman and other important cities in the Middle East very frequently. Many flights take off and land from Kabul International Airport and Kandahar Airport, few busiest airports located in Afghanistan. Mercedes Benz buses are available from Kabul city to travel nearby cities and towns situated in Afghanistan.

Afghan food and cuisines:

Afghanistan is very famous for its mouth watering and lip smacking dishes and cuisines. Some of the Afghan delights include Qabli Pulao, Kababs, korma, Mantu, Shorma and popular rice dishes.

Hotels in Afghanistan:

The hotels in Afghanistan are much renowned all over the world for Afghan cuisine and hospitality they show towards the travelers visiting the place. One can find many budgeted hotels including high class luxury hotels serving authentic Afghan cuisines and dishes. List of some of the hotels located in Afghanistan are:

Hotel Inter Continental
Hotel Kabul Serena
Hotel Safi Landmark
Hotel Mustafa
Hotel Heetal Plaza
Hotel Capital Inn
Hotel Park Star
Hotel Maple Leaf Inn
Le Monde Guest House
Hotel The Baron
Hotel Diana Inn

Agdam Tourist Places to Visit in Agdam, Azerbaijan, Asia

Agdam Tourist Places to Visit in Agdam, Azerbaijan, Asia

Agdam is the capital city of Agdam Rayon in the southwest part of Azerbaijan, situated about 700 kms away towards southwest of national capital Baku. Most of ancient sites of Agdam were damaged during the 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh War, but several mosques remained intact. The Postal code of Agdam is 0200.

Geography of Agdam:

Agdam is situated between 39°59′35″ N latitude and 46°55′50″ E longitude at an average altitude of 369 meters. Agdam rayon is spread over an area of 1,150 sq. km.

Etymology and History of Agdam:

There are two theories about the origin of name Agdam, One theory claims that, the name Agdam derives from two Azerbaijani words ‘Ag’ means ‘white’ and ‘dam’ means ‘house’ or ‘attic’, and the literal meaning is ‘White House”. Another theory states that, Agdam derives its name from ancient Turkic language and its meaning in Turkic language is ‘small fortress’.

Agdam was founded during 18^th century and formed as a city in the year 1828.

How to reach Agdam?

The nearest airport to Agdam is Nakhchivan Airport located at a distance of about 450 kms with flights operational by Azerbaijan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and UTair Aviation with flights to Baku, Ganja, Zaqatala, and Istanbul, Ataturk, Moscow and Vnukovo regions.

Agdam is not well connected with railways and the closest railway station is Yevlakh Railway Station situated at a distance of about 620 kms from Agdam.

Agdam has few bus junctions and the nearest bus stations to Agdam include Stepanakert-Askeran Bus Station (25 kms) and Martakert Bus Station (28 kms).

Culture, Food and Shopping in Agdam:

Agdam houses less population and they speak Azerbaijani with very few shops and hotels are located, so tourists can find the hotels of nearby cities.

Places to see near Agdam:

Ag-Gel National Park:

Ag-Gel National Park is a national park situated in Azerbaijan which covers an area of Agcabedi Rayon and Beyleqan Rayon positioned between 40°00′33″ N latitude and 47°39′00″ E longitude and covers an area of 17,924 hectares.

Ag-Gel was designated as a national park on July 5, 2003 by the order of then President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Before declaring it as a national park, it had status of “Ag-Gol State Reserve” and “Ag-Gol State Game Reserve”.

Ag-Gel National Park includes one internationally recognized Important Bird Area ‘Lake Aggol’. The lake added to the list of Ramsar wetlands of international importance in the year 2001.

Ag-Gel National Park is rich in flora and fauna and includes more than 140 species of birds, especially 89 species of nesting birds among the 140. The birds found in the park include partridge, spoonbill, swan, teal and bustard and is visited by hundreds of migratory birds from all over the world throughout the year.

The Palace of the Shirvan Shahs:

The Palace of the Shirvan Shahs is known for its ancient architecture located in Baku. It is open from morning 10 to evening 5. The entrance fee is 2 AZN.

Other tourist attractions near Agdam include:

Atashgah Fire Temple
Yanar Dagh
Dendro Park
Oil Rocks
Maiden’s Tower
Latif Karimov Carpet and Applied Arts Museum
Azeri National Costume Museum

Best time to visit Agdam:

The months of winter season are the best time to holiday Agdam.

Accommodation Options near Agdam:

Hotels in and near Agdam in Azerbaijan serve the tourists with the best services and are cost effective and one can choose from wide range of hotels with varying amenities and budget. The best hotels near Agdam with different facilities are as follows:

Paros Hotel
Hotel Armenia
Hotel Heghnar
Hotel Europe
Hotel Yerevan
Vallex Garden Hotel
Park Hotel Artsakh
Shushi Grand Hotel
Stendal Hotel
Hotel Avetis

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Mastaga, Azerbaijan, Asia

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Mastaga, Azerbaijan, Asia

Mastaga is one of the municipalities of Sabuncu raion in Baku of Azerbaijan, placed about 20 kms from the heart of Baku city. Other municipalities in Sabuncu raion along with Mastaga include Balaxani, Bilgah, Kurdexani, Bakixanov, Nardaran, Pirsagı, Ramani, Zabrat and Sabuncu.

Mastaga is home to few renowned schools, colleges, health centres, parks, hotels, retail outlets and shopping centres as well.

Geography of Mastaga:

Mastaga is located between latitude 40°31′58″ in the north and longitude 50°00′14″ in the east.

Connectivity to Mastaga:

Mastaga is served by Heydar Aliyev International Airport with connections to almost all the major cities of the country and several foreign destinations namely the St. Petersburg, Athens, Vienna, Almaty, Astana, Prague, Dubai, Omsk, Doha, Tbilisi, Saratov, Kazan, Dushanbe, Kazan, Surgut, Yekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg and Tashkent.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport is catered by Aeroflot, Aegean Airlines, Air Astana, Ak Bars Aero, Azerbaijan Airlines, Czech Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Qatar Airways, S7 Airlines, Tatarstan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and UTair Ukraine.

Pirshaga Railway Station is the accessible and nearest railway station to Mastaga located at a distance of 16 kms and Baku Central Railway Station is about 22 kms away from Mastaga.

There are plenty of buses to Baku city and other nearby regions available at bus station of Mastaga at regular intervals.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Mastaga:

Mastaga houses numerous cultural centres of dance, drama nd music and many historical museums and mosques.

The best food corners near Mastaga include:

L’aparte
Lebanese
Half Way Inn
Karvansara
Izmir Garden Restaurant

Traditional dolls, Traditional bread and Antiques are purchasable products in Mastaga.

Places to see in Mastaga:

Yanar Dagh:

Yanar Dagh is a mountain that has been always on fire for more than thousand years. Entrance fee is 2 AZN.

Atashgah Fire Temple:

Atashgah Fire Temple is a very ancient temple in Baku. Entrance fee is different on person’s age, 0.20 AZN for children, 0.40 AZN for students and 2 AZN for adults. Tourists should pay 2 AZN extra, if need to take photos.

Maiden’s Tower:

Maiden’s Tower also known as Giz Qalasi is a mysterious and eccentric tower in Baku city. It is open from 10 AM to 7 PM and entrance fee is 2 AZN.

The Palace of the Shirvan Shahs:

Shirvan Shahs Palace is one of the must see attractions in Baku city. It is open for visitors from 10 AM to 5 PM. 2 AZN is entrance fee and 2 AZN extra to take photos.

Magomayev Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall:

Magomayev Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall was constructed in the year 1912. This is an inspired structure of Monte Carlo Casino and organizes Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra.

Other tourist attractions near Mastaga include: