Band-e-Zulfiqar is the biggest lake among five lakes of Band-e-Amir. Band-e-Amir literally means “the Dams of the King”. The lakes are believed to have been formed by the magic power of Hazrat Ali, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad who became the fourth Caliph and the first Imam. Because of the legend of Ali, the lakes became a major pilgrimage destination, especially for the Afghan Shiites.
Band-e-Amir, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 2006