Herat

Herat lies a few kilometres north of the Hari Rud in the far west of Afghanistan and is the capital of Herat province. It is one of the country's largest cities and the main commercial centre of the west, with close trade links to Iran and Turkmenistan. The historic heart of the city is the old walled town, laid out as a rough square, with bazaar streets running in from its gates to meet at a central crossing, the Chahar Su. Above it rises the citadel, Qala-e Ikhtiyaruddin, and within the old town stands the Friday Mosque, the Masjid-e Jami, with its great tiled courtyard. Beyond the old walls, newer districts spread along wide avenues lined with trees, government buildings and parks. Herat's monuments make it one of the richest places in Afghanistan for Islamic architecture. Besides the Friday Mosque and the citadel, visitors come for the minarets and the mausoleum of Gawhar Shad at the Musalla, the shrine of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari at Gazargah, and the terraced garden of Takht-e Safar on the hills north of the city. Herat is also known for its craftspeople, its poets and musicians, and the lively trade of its bazaars, which draw buyers from across the west of the country.

Herat's origins are ancient. The settlement was the centre of the region the Achaemenid Persians called Haraiva, and its citadel stands on a mound fortified since antiquity, which local tradition links with Alexander the Great. The Friday Mosque was rebuilt by the Ghurid rulers around 1200, and a Ghurid portal still survives within it. The city was devastated in the Mongol invasions of the 1220s, revived under the local Kart dynasty in the 14th century, and reached its greatest brilliance under the Timurids. Shah Rukh made Herat his capital in the early 15th century, and his wife Gawhar Shad founded the mosque and madrasa complex at the Musalla. Later in the century the court of Sultan Husayn Bayqara supported the poets Jami and Ali-Shir Navai and the painter Behzad. Most of the Musalla buildings were demolished in 1885, when the area was cleared for defence. The city suffered heavy damage in the late 20th century, and many monuments, including the citadel, have since been restored.

Herati Dari, with its own accent and vocabulary, is the language of the streets, and Pashto and other languages are heard among people from the surrounding provinces. City life is shaped by Islamic tradition and by a strong attachment to Persian literature: poetry readings, calligraphy and the memory of the Timurid painters are part of the city's sense of itself. Gazargah, the shrine of the 11th-century Sufi poet Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, is the city's most visited holy place, especially on Thursday evenings and during religious holidays, and the shrine complex also holds the graves of many notable figures from Herat's past. At Nowruz, families picnic in parks and gardens and at the shrines, and at weddings and gatherings the city's musicians play the songs for which Herat is known across the country. On Fridays the great courtyard of the Masjid-e Jami fills for the midday prayer.

The city sits on a gently sloping plain between the hills to the north and the Hari Rud to the south. Canals drawn from the river water the gardens, vineyards and fields that still reach into the outskirts, and the avenues of the newer districts are shaded by rows of tall trees. On the hills to the north, the Timurid-era terraced garden of Takht-e Safar looks out over the whole city and is a popular place for family outings, especially in spring. The Gazargah shrine sits on the same slopes among old trees. To the south, the road to the river crosses fields to Pul-e Malan, an old bridge of many arches over the Hari Rud. In summer the wind of 120 days blows steadily across the city, raising dust in the afternoons but taking the edge off the heat.

Herat's food is generous, with plenty of rice, lamb and dried fruit. Kebab grilled over charcoal and served with fresh bread, mantu (steamed dumplings filled with meat), ashak (leek dumplings with yoghurt) and slow-cooked shorwa are found throughout the city, and qabuli palaw is never far away. Saffron from the surrounding districts colours sweet rice and the sweets made for weddings and religious occasions. The bazaars are full of the province's produce: grapes and melons in late summer and autumn, raisins, almonds, pistachios and other dried fruit and nuts all year, and fresh herbs and vegetables from the gardens around the city. In spring, street sellers offer kishmish panir, raisins with fresh white cheese. Green tea, often with cardamom, is served everywhere, and ice cream is popular on summer evenings.

Herat's best-known craft is its hand-blown glass, made in small family workshops in deep blue, turquoise and green, in shapes that have changed little over generations. The Friday Mosque keeps its own tile workshop, where craftsmen cut and assemble the glazed mosaic tiles used to repair the mosque. The carpet bazaars of the city sell rugs woven across the region, from Herati designs to Baluch and Turkmen pieces, as well as kilims and woven bags. Silk scarves, embroidered caps and clothing, calligraphy, miniature painting in the Herat tradition, and leather and metal goods are sold in the bazaars of the old town and in the streets around the Friday Mosque.

The city is at its best in spring, from March to May, when the gardens of Gazargah and Takht-e Safar are green and the whole city turns out for Nowruz picnics. October and November are also pleasant, with clear days, mild temperatures and bazaars full of grapes, pomegranates and new saffron. From June to August the daytime heat is strong and the wind of 120 days raises dust most afternoons; sightseeing is easiest in the early morning and the evening, when parks and streets come back to life. Winters are cool, with cold nights and occasional snow; the monuments are quiet and the light is clear, though the days are short. During Ramadan, restaurants and tea houses keep reduced hours by day and open after sunset.

Herat's airport (HEA) lies on the plain south of the city, across the Hari Rud, and has been served by domestic flights from Kabul and other cities as well as some international routes. Taxis wait at the terminal for the drive into the centre. By road, the highway from Kandahar and Farah enters the city from the south, the road from the Iranian border at Islam Qala, about 120 km away, arrives from the west, and the road from Torghundi on the Turkmen border comes in from the north. Long-distance buses and shared taxis use stands and terminals on the edges of the city, each on the side facing its route, and a taxi or rickshaw covers the last stretch to the centre. Road conditions and local circumstances change, so travellers should check current conditions before setting out.

Herat has the widest choice of accommodation in western Afghanistan. Most hotels are in the newer districts outside the old walls, along the main avenues and near government offices and business areas, where mid-range and larger hotels serve traders, officials and visitors. A few simpler hotels and guesthouses stand closer to the old city and its bazaars, convenient for walking to the Friday Mosque and the citadel. Small family-run guesthouses also exist and are usually found through personal recommendation. Many of the larger hotels have family sections and rooms suited to families travelling together.

Herat is easy to explore by taxi and on foot. Motor rickshaws, known as zaranj, and taxis are everywhere and can be stopped in the street; fares are agreed before setting off. Horse-drawn carriages, called gadi, still work some routes in and around the old city, a sight that has become rare elsewhere in Afghanistan. The city is flat, and many residents get around by bicycle. The bazaars of the old town are best explored on foot, as their lanes are narrow and crowded. For Gazargah, Takht-e Safar or the Musalla, a taxi is simplest, and a car with a driver can be hired by the day for trips beyond the city.