Afghanistan dedicates its first national park amid pristine mountain lakes in Bamian, a province little touched by insurgent violence.

Reporting from Band-E-Amir National Park, Afghanistan -- Big dreams are reflected in the azure-hued shimmer of these pristine mountain lakes: Afghanistan's quixotic ambitions of becoming a tourist paradise.

With the dedication Thursday of the country's first national park, made up of six linked lakes rimmed by breathtaking travertine cliffs, officials voiced hope that visitors might slowly begin to return to Afghanistan after three decades of war.