The Taliban government have banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province.

Band-e-Amir is a significant tourist attraction, becoming Afghanistan’s first national park in 2009.

Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been observing hijab inside the park, and called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found.

UNESCO describes the park as a “naturally created group of lakes with special geological formations and structure, as well as natural and unique beauty”, and the ban on women attending will prevent many from being able to enjoy the park.