This general view shows the Band-e-Amir lake on the outskirts of Bamiyan Province on July 8, 2008. The glittering lakes of Band-e-Amir must rank as Afghanistan's most astounding natural sight. The series of six linked lakes are hidden in the Koh-e-Baba at an altitude of 2900m and their deep blue waters sparkle like otherworldly jewels against the dusty mountains that surround them.

圖為阿富汗巴米揚省郊外藍湖全景，照片攝於今年7月8日。藍湖閃閃發光的湖泊是阿富汗最令人驚艷的天然美景。這六個連續串連在一起的湖泊隱藏於海拔2900公尺高的考伊巴巴山脈中。湖中深藍色的湖水閃閃發亮，有如超脫塵俗的寶石美鑽，背景則是環抱它們的灰撲撲的崇山峻嶺。

Band-e-Amir is situated in the Mountainous Hazara-jat, 75 km from Bamiyan, a majestic blue lake known for its exquisite beauty. Well-known as Band-e-Amir, it's a place that is a naturally created group of lakes with u-nique geological formations and structure, as well as natural and splendid beauty.

藍湖位於多山的哈扎拉地區，距巴米揚省75公里，這個莊嚴的湖泊，以其清幽雅致的美景著稱。這個遠近馳名的湖泊渾然天成，有著獨一無二的地理形態和結構及自然無上的美。

The amazing thing about Band-e-Amir lake is the high retaining wall that surrounds each lake. The six chain of lakes constitute of the Band-e Gholaman (slaves), Band-e Qamber (Caliph Ali's slave), Band-e Haibat (grandiose), Band-e Panir (cheese), Band-e Pudina (wild mint) and Band-e Zulfiqar (sword of Ali). Of these, the Band-e Haibat is the largest and the deepest with an av-erage depth of more than 80 meters. Although the high retaining walls appear to have been formed by calcium carbonate precipitates, the local legends tell a different story. Caliph Ali is believed to have miraculously raised the walls to dam a perilous river course and thus gain the confidence of the local pagan king whom he converted to Islam.

藍湖最驚人的是環湖的高聳擋土牆，這六個湖泊各有名稱分別叫「奴隸」、「阿里的奴僕」、「宏偉」、「乳酪」、「野薄荷」及「阿里的劍」。其中以「宏偉湖」最大也最深，平均深逾80公尺。雖然高擋土牆似乎是碳酸鈣的沈澱物形成的，當地傳說一個完全不同的故事。阿里據信奇蹟似地推起擋土牆，攔截凶險的河流，並因此贏得當地回教徒的國王信任，阿里並使國王歸依伊斯蘭教。

Since the lakes could not be declared either a heritage site nor given the status of a national Park, many eco-logical and conservation problems hang high over the Band-e Amir lakes. Several warring factions planted numerous landmines along the route to the lakes in 2001. Though some of the explosives have been cleared, e-nough remain to pose serious threat to all life forms around the area. Increasing number of visitors pose a threat to the ecological balance of these lakes which in-clude unregulated grazing and uprooting of shrubs which can result in serious soil erosion and even landslides. Fishing using electricity from mobile generators and ex-plosives such as grenades has damaged the aquatic e-cosystem. Due to lack of funding for waste management, human waste and trash has led to increasing pollution. As peace is limping slowly back in Afghanistan, the volume of tourism is sure to grow and so the environmental protection wing of the local government would do well to raise awareness for preservation of the lakes and its surrounding areas.

由於藍湖既未被列為世界遺產又未被闢為國家公園，令人擔心湖區的諸多生態和保育問題。2001年，阿富汗幾個好戰派系在通往湖區的路上埋了不少地雷，雖然有些爆裂物已被清除，還是有些漏網之魚可能對這個地區的各種生物構成生命威脅。遊客日增，對這些湖泊的生態平衡構成威脅，包括任意放牧及把灌木連根拔，這可能導致嚴重的土壤侵蝕甚至山崩。用發電機電魚及諸如手榴彈之類的爆裂物炸魚，將破壞湖中生物的生態系統。再加上缺乏經費，未能妥善管理廢棄物、人的排泄物和垃圾，使污染更加嚴重。由於阿富汗已緩步恢復和平，遊客想必會隨著增加，因此當地政府的環保部門已善盡職責，提醒遊客要保護湖區及鄰近地區。