Hazarchishma Natural Bridge is located 100 km north of Band-e-Amir National Park at the northern edge of Bamyan Province, near the border with Samangan Province. The arch is a young meander natural bridge carved through limestone karst in Jawzari Canyon (Dara-i-Jawzari), which joins the Ajar valley as part of the Amu Darya watershed and the main Caspian basin.

February 20, 2022

In November 2010, a Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan Program field survey team discovered a large natural arch in the Hindu Kush Mountains of central Afghanistan. Members of the team returned in February 2011 and measured the span of the arch, using NABS standards, at 211 feet.

Hazarchishma Natural Bridge is located 100 km north of Band-e-Amir National Park at the northern edge of Bamyan Province, near the border with Samangan Province. The arch is a young meander natural bridge carved through limestone karst in Jawzari Canyon (Dara-i-Jawzari), which joins the Ajar valley as part of the Amu Darya watershed and the main Caspian basin. In the recent geological past, the river became subterranean, leaving Dara-i-Jawzari dry. The elevation of the arch is 3100 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level. It also ranks among the largest such structures known.

The Bridge is formed of massive limestone which co-exists with marl limestone shales, bituminous shales, marlstone, limestone, conglomerates, and sandstones as the over- and under-laying layers. These rock formations and layers are from the Jurassic to the Lower Eocene in the Cenozoic.

The area is also of archaeological importance. The canyon below Hazarchishma village in which the natural bridge is located contains a series of caves that may have been occupied by cave-dwelling humans. This canyon lies on an ancient route between north and south and even now this route is locally used. An ancient fort was also observed during the previous field survey supporting the idea that this route must have been of some importance in earlier times.

"It's one of the most spectacular discoveries ever made in this region," said Joe Walston, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program. "The arch is emblematic of the natural marvels that still await discovery in Afghanistan."

Wildlife Conservation Society staff Christopher Shank and Ayub Alavi discovered the massive arch in late 2010 in the course of surveying the northern edge of the Bamyan plateau for wildlife (the landscape is home to ibex and urial wild sheep) and visiting local communities.

After making the discovery, they returned to the Hazarchishma Natural Bridge (named after a nearby village) in February 2011 to take accurate measure of the natural wonder. The total span of arch—the measurement by which natural bridges are ranked—is 210.6 feet in width, making it the 12th largest natural bridge in the world. This finding pushes Utah’s Outlaw Arch in Dinosaur National Monument—smaller than Hazarchishma by more than four feet—to number 13 on the list.

The world’s largest natural arch—Fairy Bridge—is located by Buliu River in Guangxi, China, and spans a staggering 400 feet in width. Several of the top 20 largest natural arches are located in the state of Utah in the U.S.

Consisting of rock layers formed between the Jurassic Period (200-145 million years ago) and the more recent Eocene Epoch (55-34 million years ago), the Hazarchishma Natural Bridge was carved over millennia by the once flowing waters of the now dry Jawzari Canyon.

With the assistance of WCS and support from USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the government of Afghanistan has launched several initiatives to safeguard the country’s wild places and the wildlife they contain. In 2009, the government gazetted the country’s first national park, Band-e-Amir, approximately 100 kilometers south of Hazarchishma Natural Bridge. The park was established with technical assistance from WCS’s Afghanistan Program. WCS also worked with Afghanistan’s National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) in producing the country’s first-ever list of protected species, an action that now bans the hunting of snow leopards, wolves, brown bears, and other species. In a related effort, WCS now works to limit illegal wildlife trade in the country through educational workshops for soldiers at Bagram Air Base and other military bases across Afghanistan. WCS also works with more than 55 local communities in Afghanistan to better manage their natural resources, helping them conserve wildlife while improving their livelihoods.

“Afghanistan has taken great strides in initiating programs to preserve the country’s most beautiful wild places as well as conserve its natural resources,” said Peter Zahler, Deputy Director for the WCS Asia Program. “This newfound marvel adds to the country’s growing list of natural wonders and economic assets.”

The Bridge is formed of massive limestone which co-exists with marl limestone shales, bituminous shales, marlstone, limestone, conglomerates, and sandstones as the over- and under-laying layers. These rock formations and layers are from the Jurassic to the Lower Eocene in the Cenozoic.

The area is also of archaeological importance. The canyon below Hazarchishma village in which the natural bridge is located contains a series of caves that may have been occupied by cave-dwelling humans. This canyon lies on an ancient route between north and south and even now this route is locally used. An ancient fort was also observed during the previous field survey supporting the idea that this route must have been of some importance in earlier times.

NABS expresses deep appreciation to Ayub Alavi, Protected Area Specialist for the Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan Program, for his diligence in measuring this arch and for supplying this information to NABS.

Hazarchishma Natural Bridge location on Google Map

Reference:
The Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS): Hazarchishma Natural Bridge
Newly discovered natural arch in Afghanistan one of world’s largest