About Little Bamiyan

Little Bamiyan is Melbourne’s Hazara cultural precinct on Thomas Street, Dandenong. It takes its name from the Bamiyan Valley—the historic capital of Hazaristan in the central highlands of present-day Afghanistan and the ancestral homeland of the Hazara people. Nineteenth-century accounts, such as those recorded by Major Henry Walter Bellew, a British ethnographer, describe Hazara country as extending “in one direction” from the borders of Kabul and Ghazni west toward Herat, and from the vicinity of Kandahar to that of Balkh— meaning the whole region lying between those points. Earlier sources also note Hazara presence eastward, from the frontier of Hazaristan toward Badakhshan. The valley itself sat on key Silk Road routes and is renowned for its ancient Buddhist heritage, including the monumental Bamiyan Buddhas.

Since the early 2000s, Hazara families—together with the wider Australian community, including people of other nationalities from the modern state of Afghanistan—have established grocers, bakeries, carpet shops, restaurants, and community services here. Together they have transformed Thomas Street into a welcoming hub for Hazara culture—and a meeting place for other communities—while centring Hazara identity in its own right and working respectfully alongside neighbours.

Today, Little Bamiyan offers authentic cuisine, traditional music and arts, language and cultural programs, and inclusive community events. The precinct honours the resilience and heritage of Hazara people and invites everyone to share in a living culture.

About the Directory. This app is a community business directory for Little Bamiyan and the wider Hazara business network across Australia. It helps owners list their businesses and services in minutes, and it helps visitors discover the right shop, service, or event through fast search and clear categories. Whether you’re looking for a local grocer, a family restaurant, trades and services, or community programs, the directory makes it easy to find—and support—the people who make Little Bamiyan thrive.