Herat
lies in northwestern Afghanistan. It is capital of Herat Province, on the
Harirud river. Herat is perhaps the most beautiful of Afghanistan's ancient
cities. It has been a settlement for over 2,500 years and has been fought over
by successive rulers from Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. to Ahmad Shah Durrani
in 1749. In the 7th century AD the city was captured by Muslims. The Mongol
conqueror Tamerlane made it his capital in 1381, and it subsequently became a
center of Persian art and learning. The Afghans captured Herat in 1749.
Principal architectural features of the city are the old city walls and gates,
Islamic tombs, and the Friday Mosque. The city is a trading center for the
grain, fruit, vegetables, and sheep of the surrounding area. Population (1988
estimate) 177,300. The city is the main city on the Herat-Kandahar road. The
road has one of the busiest roads in Afghanistan with most of the exports from
Afghanistan and southwest Pakistan going through this route to Turkmenistan
through border city of Torghundi. Herat is the largest city in western
Afghanistan and is the main trade city for exports to Iran and now Turkmenistan
and Middle East.
Amongst
the amazing variety of ancient buildings in Herat, many of which are in ruins,
are the great Friday Mosque inside the square walls of the old town, and
the Musalla - a group of religious buildings with six minarets.
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