Long queue of roaming cars on congested road leading to the scenic Salang valley on Friday illustrates the inner wishes of war-weary Afghans towards having durable peace and enjoyment.

An amusement - the car race-rally like of private automobiles on the busy road where each driver attempts to take edge and reach the goal appears fantastic as it was a dream for Afghans a decade ago when Taliban was in power and the country had burned in factional fighting.

"It is the time to enjoy the life, to breathe fresh air, to take sigh of relief and above all to forget the past dark days and suffering," Mohammad Zakir, 39, said.

Salang, a mountainous valley with beautiful landscape, situated 85 km north of Afghan capital Kabul, is almost packed with visitors on Fridays.

Friday is the weekly off day in Afghanistan and wealthy people like in other countries going out for relaxation.

However, foreign nationals rarely are seen to visit tourist destination partly due to lack of facilities to accommodate and security concerns.

Although there is no cable car, no movie, no park, no rest room and no entertainment place in Salang valley, people with families go there to have meal in open air, have fun and return home in the afternoon.

"I like very much to stay at night in Salang but there are no hotel, motel and guest houses to accommodate you," another visitor Ainullah who likes many Afghans uses one name said.

Like other institutions, tourism industry has also been badly damaged in Afghanistan due to protracted wars and civil conflicts.

Although Afghanistan is the cradle of old civilizations ranging from Bactrian, Zoroastrian, Buddhism and Islam, and even the legacy of cold war era are available there in bulk but little has been invested in tourism industry.

There are castles, historical forts and archeological sites dated back to 5,000 years. However, these national assets are not properly preserved.

In the central Bamyan province, once the center of Buddhism, the giant Buddhas date back to 3,500 years were destroyed by Taliban regime in March 2000 and the monks' aves around have been housing homeless people in the contemporary world.

Afghans are lovely people and like other nations want to have peaceful life, recreation and enjoyment.

Having entertainment, in fact is a new phenomenon in the war- shattered Afghanistan.

In and around Afghan capital Kabul, there are a zoo, an artificial lake Qargha and a newly built rose garden - Bostan-e- Kabul.

"I want my father to take me every Friday here in Bostan-e- Kabul," a 10-year-old girl Fatima said.

Located six km outside the capital city and built after the fall of Taliban regime eight years ago, Bostan-e-Kabul with having a music band and peaceful environment attracts hundreds of people daily.

On average, 400 people visit the garden with buying entry ticket for 100 Afghanistan (two U.S. dollars) daily.

There is no official statistics about the income of Afghanistan from tourism industry and the number of foreign tourists who visit the country annually.

Government in effort to revive tourism industry proclaimed the seven natural lakes Band-e-Amir in central Bamyan province as National Park besides instructing concerned authorities to construct facilities including luxury hotels to accommodate tourists, Director of Afghan Tourism Organization Syed Zamanudin Baha said.

"Likewise Qarga we should have several lakes, golf grounds and other entertainment places in different parts of the country to pastime, to swim and to enjoy the life with friends," a teenager Mohammad Ayub said.