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Herat

The City of Knowledge and Civilization

Herat Province is located in the western part of the Afghanistan - Iran border. Herat borders the provinces of Farah to the south, Badghis to the north, and Ghor to the east, and also shares part of its northern border with Turkmenistan. Herat City is the largest and most significant urban area in western Afghanistan, and is connected to Kandahar City and Kabul via Highway, also referred to as the "ring road" highway. Agriculture and animal husbandry are the primary occupations found in Herat although urban commercial and industrial ventures dominate Herat City's economy. Cotton, tobacco, and sesame are among the largest crops produced. Trade is intimately linked with Iran which shares a 400-mile border with Afghanistan. Herat province population is estimated as 4 million, Herat is the second most populated city in Afghanistan after Kabul and its spoken language is Farsi and Pashto.

The city of Herat, which is currently the regional capital of western Afghanistan, has long been of strategic, commercial, and cultural significance to the wider region. Although the city has developed extensively in modern times and has suffered the ravages of conflict, the site is unique in that it has largely retained its historical footprint, and many significant Islamic monuments have survived.

Top sights of Herat

The citadel of Herat “Qala Ikhtyaruddin / Arg Herat)

The Citadel of Herat also known as the Citadel of Alexander, and locally known as Qala Ikhtyaruddin is located in the center of Herat in Afghanistan. It dates back to 330 BC when Alexander the Great and his army arrived in what is now Afghanistan after the Battle of Gaugamela. Many empires have used it as a headquarters in the last 2,000 years and was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. From decades of wars and neglect, the citadel began to crumble but in recent years several international organizations decided to completely rebuild it. The National Museum of Herat is also housed inside the citadel.

The citadel of Herat was completely renovated between 2006 and 2011. The latest restoration involved hundreds of Afghan craftsmen and funds from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and about $2.4 million from the U.S. and German governments. About 1,100 items from the Herat region are stored inside the museum at the citadel and many have been on display.

Masjid-e Jami Herat or Blue Mosque 

Masjid-e Jami is the fifth largest Mosque in the world, which has the capacity to hold 100,000 people at one time. It is the most prominent mosque located in Herat which is 800 years old, also called as Friday Mosque of Blue Mosque. The Masjid-e Jami of Herat, the city's first congregational mosque, was built on the site of two smaller Ghaznavid mosques that were destroyed by earthquake and fire. The present mosque was begun by Ghurid ruler Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad B. Sam (1162-1202) in 1200 (597 AH) and continued after his death by his brother and successor Shihab al-Din. This is confirmed both by an inscription on the eastern Ghurid portal uncovered in 1964 during restoration and by the sixteenth-century Timurid historian Khwandamir in his Khulasat al-Akhbar. The mosque is not only renowned for its architectural style but also is one of the sacred worshipping centers in Herat. Many Muslims converge at the mosque during Friday Prayers and during times of Eid and Ramadan.

Malan Bridge

Malan Bridge, also called Pul-i-Malan is a two-lane arched bridge over the Hari River. It is one of the historical sites of Herat which is located 6 km from the south part of the city. It was built on the Harri Rud River in the Malan region in the early 12th century by the Seljuks. This bridge played an important role in history because of the trade and caravan route between Sistan, Ghandehar, and India which went across this region. Malan Bridge was built of specific architecture consisting of Columns, breakwater, and gateways designed with arch. It is currently made up of 22 arches with 230 m (750 ft.) long, 8 m (26 ft.) wide, and 10 m (33 ft.) high. According to legend, two sisters, Bibi Nur, and Bibi Hur, collected egg shells to mix with the clay of the bricks, making the structure stronger than steel.

Mousallah Complex

The complex has a collection of mosques, minarets, and Madrassa which is jointly called as Mousallah complex or Musalla of Gawhar Shad which was built by Queen Gaur Shad. Construction on the complex began in 1417 under Queen Gawharshad, the wife of Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, and ended in the late 1400s with the building of a madrassa by Sultan Husayn Bayqara. It was seriously damaged in 1885 during the Panjdeh incident when the British and ruling Emir of Afghanistan demolished most of the complex buildings. There is also a tomb of Gowhar Shaw near the complex. There were 12 minarets in the complex, but due to the passage of time nine of them have been destroyed and only three of them remain intact within the complex.

Shrine of Khawaja Abdullah Ansar

The Khwaja Abdullah Ansari shrine, also known as Gazar Gah, is a funerary compound (Hazira) in Herat that houses the tomb of the Sufi mystic and saint Khawaja Abdullah Ansari. The shrine also includes many notables buried there, including Afghan ruler Dost Mohammad Khan. The shrine is also known as the guardian pir (wise man) of Herat. After his death in 1098, his tomb became a major Sunni pilgrimage center. The shrine enclosing the tomb was commissioned by the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh bin Timur (1405-1447) and built-in typical Timurid architecture style, located at the village of Gazur Gah, three kilometers northeast of Herat, Afghanistan. 

Other attractions in Herat are

  • Tomb of Jami
  • Park-e Taraki
  • Herat Museum
  • Jihad Museum
  • Tomb of Khaje Qaltan
  • Tomb of Queen Goharshad
  • Sultan Husayn Bayqara Madrassa
  • Takht-e-Safar
  • Herat Antiques Bazaar
  • Caves in Karkh district
  • The Zarnigar-Khanah and the Namakdan