Theme Week Afghanistan – Mazar-i-Sharif
Wednesday, 27 May 2020 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Asia / Asien Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Blue Mosque © flickr.com – ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office/cc-by-2.0.
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Mazār-i-Sharīf, also called Mazār-e Sharīf, or just Mazar, is the fourth-largest city of
Afghanistan , with a 2015
UN–Habitat population estimate 430,000. It is the capital of
Balkh province and is linked by highways with
Kunduz in the east,
Kabul in the southeast,
Herat in the west and
Termez in
Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km (34 mi) from the Uzbek border. The city also serves as one of the many tourist attractions because of its famous shrines as well as the
Islamic and
Hellenistic archeological sites. The ancient city of
Balkh is also nearby.
The name Mazar-i-Sharif means “Tomb of the Prince”, a reference to the large, blue-tiled sanctuary and mosque in the center of the city known as the Shrine of Ali or the Blue Mosque . Some people believe that the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib , the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is at this mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, after Ali’s remains were transferred to Mazar-i-Sharif as per request of Ja’far as-Sadiq . This is however rejected by other Muslims, as the majority believe he is buried in Najaf , Iraq.
Mazar-i-Sharif as seen from Maulana Jalaludin Cultural Park © flickr.com - Julian-G. Albert/cc-by-2.0
The region around Mazar-i-Sharif has been historically part of
Greater Khorasan and was controlled by the
Tahirids followed by the
Saffarids ,
Samanids ,
Ghaznavids ,
Ghurids ,
Ilkhanates ,
Timurids , and
Khanate of Bukhara until the mid-18th century when it became part of the
Durrani Empire after a friendship treaty was signed between emirs
Murad Beg and
Ahmad Shah Durrani . Mazar-i-Sharif is also known for the famous Afghan song
Bia ke berem ba Mazar (
Come let’s go to Mazar ) by
Sarban .
Mazar-i-Sharif is the regional hub of northern Afghanistan, located in close proximity to both Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan . It is also home to
an international airport . It has the highest percentage of built-up land (91%) of all the Afghan provincial capitals, and it has additional built-up area extending beyond the municipal boundary but forming a part of the larger
urban area . It is also the lowest-lying major city in the country, about 357 metres (1,171 ft) above sea level. The city was spared of the devastation that occurred in the country’s other large cities during the
Soviet–Afghan War and subsequent
civil war , and is today regarded one of the safest cities in the country.
Here you can find the complete
Overview of all Theme Weeks .
Read more on
Wikitravel Mazar-i-Sharif ,
Wikivoyage Mazar-i-Sharif and
Wikipedia Mazar-i-Sharif . Learn more about the
use of photos . To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (
Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State -
Weather report by weather.com -
Global Passport Power Rank -
Travel Risk Map -
Democracy Index -
GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank -
Global Competitiveness Report -
Corruption Perceptions Index -
Press Freedom Index -
World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index -
UN Human Development Index -
Global Peace Index -
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index ). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at
comment@wingsch.net . Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.
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