About: Kakrak Valley, Bamyan Province

Karkak Valley (Dari: درهٔ ککرک) is a valley in central Afghanistan, located in Bamyan province, 120 km west of Kabul province. The famous Buddhist mural named "The Hunter King" (7-8th centuries CE) shows a typically local royal figure seated on a throne, his bow and arrows on the side. He wears a triple-crescent crown which has been compared to the triple-crescent crowns on the coinage found in northeastern Afghanistan in the area of Zabulistan, such as a coin found in Ghazni. Late 7th to early 8th century CE. Other authors have attributed the triple-crescent crown to Hephthalite influence. The painting may be an allegory of a King abandoning violence, particularly the hunting of animals, and converting to Buddhism.