Afghanistan's Magnificent Panjshir Valley ( PHOTOS)

The Panjshir Valley is a valley in north-central Afghanistan, 150 km north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. The name Panjshir, literally meaning "Five Lions", refers to five Wali (literally, protectors), highly spiritual brothers who were centered in the valley. Local legend has it that the five brothers built a dam for Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the early 11th century AD. The foundations serve today for a modern reservoir.