Balkh

Balkh Province is one of the most delightful provinces of Afghanistan that is located in northern Afghanistan. Balkh Province shares border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the north, Kunduz and Samangan Provinces in the east, Jowzjan Province in the west and Sar-i-Pul and Samangan Provinces in the south. It has an area of 172,498 km2 and a population of about 1,123,948 people. A glorious view of Mazar-i-Sharif A glorious view of Mazar-i-Sharif Balkh is quite warm in summers and very cold in winters. The spring is usually humid and rainy. In summers, it often exceeds 43° C and in winters falls below -2° C. Mazar-i-Sharif is the center of Balkh province. A number of scholars and intellectuals as Jalaludin Mohammad Balkhi, Zardasht, Allama Seyed Esmaeil Balkhi, Rabea Balkhi, Naser Khosro Balkhi, Avicenna and Daghighi lived in Balkh; hence, Mazar-i-Sharif is one the of the most amusing cities in Afghanistan. Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif Naser Khosro Tomb Green Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif Green Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif Rabea Balkhi Tomb Women in Hazrat Ali Shrine Women in Hazrat Ali Shrine Sunset in Hazrat Ali Shrine Sunset in Hazrat Ali Shrine Districts of Balkh Province Balkh Province has 14 districts including: Balkh District, Dawlatabad District, Chaharbolak District, Chamtal District, Sholgara District, Kaldar District, Shortipa District, Khalm District, Marmal District, Dehdadi District, Nahr-e-Shahi District, Charkent District, Kashanda District and Zari District. One of the features of Balkh Province is the existence of Hairatan Port in the province. Hairatan port is one of the most significant trade centers in Afghanistan; it connects Afghanistan to Central Asia. Historical monuments in Balkh Province Balkh has a history of 6,000 years. Owing to the historical background, Balkh Province has been named second city in the world. One of the roads leading to the Balkh Province One of the roads leading to the Balkh Province The Silk Road which is a path for many businesses crosses through Balkh Province. Other significant monuments in Balkh Province include: Shrine of Hazrat Ali, Bala Hissar, the old Walls of Balkh, Khwaja Akasha Tomb, Flat Bridge Castle in Zargaran Hill, Baba Ali Shir Hill, Khwaja Abunasr Parsa Mosque, Babor Castle, Zadiyan Minaret, Nine Domes, Oryan Tower, Nobahar Fire Temple, Bano Town, Jahan Nama and Girls Palaces, Salaran Hill, Shadiyan Valley, Bazrak, Behrab, Ablay Hill, Kafar Castle in Chaharkint, Imam Bekri Bridge, Baba Hatam Asam Tomb, Zein-al-Abedin Aghil Tomb, Jamshid Town and Marmal Kote Sangi. Jahan Nama Palace in Balkh Province Jahan Nama Palace in Balkh Province Find more about Jahan Nama Castle Nine Domes Mosque known as Nobahar Fire Temple Nine Domes Mosque known as Nobahar Fire Temple Balkh Province has a rich culture besides its historical features. The most noteworthy of which is the commemoration of Hamal 1st, Nawroz – the Persian new year, that is held annually and lasts for the first 40 days of the year under the title of Gul-i-Surkh Festival and Flag-hoisting Ceremony (a religious and cultural ceremony celebrated by the people and officials). Gul-i-Surkh Festival in Mazar-i-Sharif Gul-i-Surkh Festival in Mazar-i-Sharif Ethnic and cultural variety in Balkh Province The coexistence of multiple languages and ethnicities are among other characteristics of Balkh Province. Popular languages spoken by the people in the province include: Dari, Pashto, Uzbek and Turkman; however, most of the people in Balkh Province speak Dari. Also, different ethnicities which include Tajik, Hazara, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen and Arabs live peacefully in Balkh Province. Most people in Balkh Province raise livestock Most people in Balkh Province raise livestock People in this province are very much active in artifact industry and have earned a special credit for the province in the production of carpet nationwide. The beauty of Balkh Province in spring The beauty of Balkh Province in spring Making carpets is an extensive source of income for more than 20,000 people in this province. Forging copper, goldsmithing, embroidery, mora dozi and decoratives are among the artifacts produced by people in Balkh Province; nonetheless, the major occupation is agriculture. Mountains in Balkh Province Mountains in Balkh Province Agricultural Products in Balkh Province Approximately 70% of the population in Balkh Province are farmers and earn income through this source. Wheat, cotton, maize, pistachio and rice are the important products in Balkh Province. Furthermore, it exports products such as raisin, apricot, plum, almond, apple, mulberry, peach, watermelon, melon, cherry, grain, bean, sesame, caraway, pea, lentil, cauliflower, pepper, potato, cabbage, onion, carrot, spearmint, coriander, cucumber, turnip, tomato and eggplant. The beautiful nature of Balkh Province The beautiful nature of Balkh Province A village in Balkh Province A village in Balkh Province Also, the province has rich mineral resources such as oil, gas, salt, glass.

The plain around Balkh has been settled for thousands of years. As Bactra, the city was the heart of ancient Bactria, linked in tradition with Zoroaster, and passed through the hands of the Achaemenid Persians, Alexander the Great and the Greek kings who followed him. Under the Kushans it was a Buddhist centre. Arab armies reached the region in the 7th century, and Balkh later flourished under the Samanids, Ghaznavids and Seljuks as a city of scholars and poets. The 10th-century poet Rabia Balkhi is remembered at a tomb in the town, and Jalaluddin Rumi is traditionally held to have been born there. The nearby Noh Gonbad mosque is among the oldest Islamic buildings in Afghanistan. Mongol armies sacked Balkh early in the 13th century, and it never regained its former size. In the Timurid period new monuments rose, among them the shrine of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa. In the 19th century the seat of government moved to Mazar-i-Sharif. The province was affected by the conflicts of recent decades.

Dari, Uzbek, Pashto and Turkmen are all widely spoken, and the province is home to Tajik, Uzbek, Pashtun, Hazara, Turkmen and Arab communities, among others. Most people are Muslim, and shrines are an important part of religious life, from the great shrine at Mazar-i-Sharif to the smaller tombs of saints and scholars in Balkh town and the villages. Nowruz, the new year, which falls around 21 March, is the high point of the calendar. Pilgrims from across the country gather at Mazar-i-Sharif for the raising of the banner, the Jahenda Bala, on the first day of the year, and for the following forty days people picnic in the countryside during the Gul-e Surkh, the festival of the red flowers that bloom on the plains. Buzkashi is played on open ground near Mazar-i-Sharif and in the districts through the winter and early spring, often on Fridays. Music in the north draws on Dari and Uzbek traditions, with the dambura and the dutar common at gatherings and weddings.

The heart of the province is a wide plain of fertile, wind-blown soil, crossed by irrigation canals drawn from the Balkh River, which flows down from the central highlands and is used up in the fields before it can reach the Amu Darya. Wheat, cotton, melons and other crops grow on the irrigated land, while the drier margins are grazed by flocks of sheep, including the karakul breed whose lambskins have long been traded from the north. Towards the Amu Darya the land turns to semi-desert and sand, with strips of riverside woodland along the banks. South of Mazar-i-Sharif the Alborz hills rise abruptly from the plain, and beyond them the southern districts climb into mountain valleys where villages farm rain-fed wheat on the slopes. In spring, after the winter rains, the plains turn green and are scattered with red tulips and poppies, the sight that gives the Nowruz flower festival its name.

The irrigated plains supply much of what reaches the table: wheat for the round and oval breads baked in tandoor ovens, rice for palaw, and melons, watermelons and grapes in summer and autumn. Qabuli palaw, rice cooked with lamb, carrots and raisins, is served to guests and at celebrations, and the Uzbek-style palaw cooked in a large iron pot is common in the north. Mantu and ashak, dumplings filled with meat or leeks and topped with yoghurt, are popular, as are bolani, thin turnovers filled with potato or greens. Lamb kebabs are grilled in roadside eateries, and shorwa, a meat and vegetable soup eaten with bread, is an everyday meal. Milk from the flocks is made into yoghurt, qaymaq and dried qurut. Green tea is drunk throughout the day, often with sweets, raisins and nuts.

The north of Afghanistan is carpet country, and Balkh's bazaars sell rugs woven in the villages of the province and its neighbours, many in deep reds with the repeating medallions of Turkmen designs. Flat-woven kilims, saddlebags and woven bands are sold alongside them. Karakul lambskin, made into the peaked hats long worn in Afghanistan, is traded in Mazar-i-Sharif. Other common goods are the striped quilted coats called chapan, embroidered skullcaps, and silver jewellery set with carnelian and other stones in the Turkmen manner. Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan is also widely sold in the province's shops.

Spring, from March to May, is the most pleasant season. Nowruz brings large crowds to Mazar-i-Sharif in late March, and the plains are green and in flower through April. Autumn, from September to November, is also comfortable, with clear days and the melon and grape harvest in the markets. Summers on the plains are long and very hot, with temperatures that can climb above 40°C, dust storms and little shade outside the towns; travel is best done early in the morning. Winters are cool to cold, with frost at night and occasional snow, and the southern mountain districts can be cut off by snow. The buzkashi season runs through the colder months, from late autumn until around Nowruz.

The main road from Kabul runs north through the Salang tunnel under the Hindu Kush, then down through Pul-e Khumri and Aybak to Mazar-i-Sharif, a distance of about 420 kilometres that usually takes seven to eight hours. In winter the Salang can close for a time after heavy snow or avalanches. From Mazar-i-Sharif, roads lead west to Sheberghan, about two hours away, east through Khulm to Kunduz in about three hours, and north to Hairatan on the Amu Darya in a little over an hour. At Hairatan a road and rail bridge crosses the river to Termez in Uzbekistan, the main border crossing of the region. Mazar-i-Sharif airport, east of the city, has been served by domestic flights from Kabul and other cities. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Almost all accommodation in the province is in Mazar-i-Sharif, which has hotels of several kinds and is the usual base for exploring the province. Balkh town, Hairatan and Khulm are easy day trips from the city, so few travellers stay overnight in them, and options outside Mazar-i-Sharif are few and basic. In the rural and mountain districts there is no tourist accommodation to speak of. Visitors who travel there usually arrange to stay with families through local contacts, a long-standing custom of hospitality in the north, or return to Mazar-i-Sharif the same day.

Shared taxis and minibuses leave from stands on the edges of Mazar-i-Sharif for Balkh town, Hairatan, Khulm, Sheberghan and the districts, setting off when they are full. They are frequent on the main roads but slow to fill on quieter routes. For day trips to Balkh town and the monuments around it, many visitors hire a car with a driver for the day, which allows stops at sites spread out across the countryside. Zaranj rickshaws carry passengers and goods over short distances in the towns, and in the villages people still use motorbikes, bicycles, and donkeys or horses for local journeys.