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[ancient walls of Balkh photographed by
Steven Roecker]
Every issue we take a journey
to a different region in Afghanistan. This issue
we selected the north central province of Balkh.
By Daud Saba
April-June 1998
Lemar-Aftaab
Balkh is the most ancient city of modern Afghanistan, which was given its name
during the Hakhaminids era. The urban culture in this particular city and in
North Afghanistan in general have been greatly affected by historical events
during the past. The last invaders of this land were Uzbeks who have adopted
to live in the region since the sixteenth century.
Ignoring the attraction of modern cities of the North, we see a belt of
sporadically located cities in this territory. The tradition of city
building and urbanization in historical sense had a particular lay out: in
the center of the city was a castle (Arg, Gurgan, Dazh
or Hasar) which was surrounded by mosques and bazaars and then
by residential houses with rural architecture. One of the characteristics of
the ancient Central Asian cities was the cultivation of orchards around and
close to the walls of the cities. Thus the border between the cities and the
rural areas of the ancient cultures are difficult to be determined. Same is
the case of Balkh.
Generally in the past, two group of cities were considered as Northern
Afghanistan: Baghlan, Konduz, Takhar and Badakhshan in the Northeast region
and Samangan, Balkh, Jozjan and Faryab in the Northern central territory. At
the first half of the nineteenth century, two major provinces emerged in
Northern Afghanistan: Qatarghan and Badakhshan in the East and Afghani
Turkistan, including Maimana, in the west. At present Afghan Turkistan is
separated in different provinces. The major province in this territory is the
province of Balkh with the capital of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The city of Balkh, once the capital of North Central Afghanistan, is located
twenty km to the north-west of Mazare-Sharif. This is exactly the same site of
the ancient city of Bactria, which was known as maadar-e-shahr-ha(the
mother of cities). The ruins of the walls of this city are a length
of three and half km and width of almost three km. Pre-Islamic relics are
abundant, but no work has been done on the archaeology of these treasure.
The city of Balkh is 12 km far from the Balkh river. This river with its 18
tributary makes it independent of other water sources of the region. During
the nineteenth century due to the absence of drainage systems and the weak
economy of the region, the excess water of this area flooded many acres of
the land in the vicinity of residential areas causing a malaria epidemic in
the region. Thus the ruler of North Central Afghanistan decided to shift the
capital of the city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The last renovation of the city of Balkh began in 1934. In this renovation
plan there was eight major streets stretching from the center of the city
outward. There were four hundred shops in the bazaar with thirty-two
caravansaries.
The economy of Balkh is a spectacular in the region. It is the
center for the trade of cotton, karacul (mistakenly dubbed "Persian Lame
Skins"), almond and melons. Even at present many people from Mazar-e-Sharif
travel to Balkh to shop for cheaper prices. The transportation from
Mazar-e-Sharif to Balkh is by means of buses.
In 1973 there were four cotton processing plants in Balkh. In the 1970s
the city was a major tourist attraction in Afghanistan and contributed much
capital to the economy. Major attractions of this city are the ancient walls,
Bala-Hesar, the shrine of Khaja Nasrat Parsa and the classic bazaar
of Balkh. The are a few other townships around the province of Balkh:
Dawlatabad in the north, Buina-Qara to the south, and Shour-Tapa which
is at the bank of Amu Daria.
The major city in North Afghanistan is Mazar-e-Sharif which is the capital of
the province of Balkh. This city is located in between the Rud Khana-e Shahi
(Shahi River), and Balkh river. The emergence of this city to replace the
importance of Balkh could be attributed to the existence of the Shrine of
Hazrat-e Ali the fourth Caliph of Islam (based on myth). A mosque and the
shrine were built there in 1481 AD.
After the major renovations in the city, it become the central attraction of
Northern Afghanistan. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the city of
Mazar-e-Sharif was a small township with 200-400 mud-made houses.
The face of the city was changed during Sher Ali Khan era (1870-1879)
after the shift of the capital from Balkh to Mazare-Sharif due to the malaria
epidemic (1870s). Soon six gates of the city were built and bazaars were
expanded at the vicinity of the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. At this time most of
the trade from Tashqurghan shifted to Mazar-e-Sharif.
The second renovation of the city began in 1933. The main reason for this
expansion was the extension of the major road, linking the capital of the
country to North Afghanistan through Shebar Pass. From this point on,
Mazar-e-Sharif became the major trade center of North Afghanistan.
The majority of the trade was on cotton, wheat, karacul, raison, and carpets.
At this time parts of the bazaar and government administrative buildings were
built. The last expansion projects were implemented in 1950's. In 1958 there
was only one cotton processing plant in Mazar-e-Sharif. In 1973 three more
cotton processing plants, one textile plant, two raison processing plants, and
a major gas refinery and electricity production plant and fertilizer factory
were built. Most of these industrial plants are located to the south of the
city in Dashte Shadian. In ten years this city became the major industrial
center of Afghanistan.
The renovation project of 1956 changed the scheme of the city. Major streets
were built in the city, new buildings replaced the old ones and new bazaars
emerged. This city is the only city in Afghanistan having an acceptable
infrastructure. Sixty-four km of pipelines provide the whole city with
sanitary water. This is the only city of Afghanistan having twenty-four hour
electricity. Recently a University was established in Mazar-e-Sharif,
expanding the educational infrastructure of the region. At present it is the
most attractive and liberal city of Afghanistan with many people from Kabul,
Herat and other cities of Afghanistan chosen to live there.
Past Journeys:
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Copyright © 1998 Aftaabzad Publications. All Rights Reserved.
May not be duplicated or distributed in any form without permission.
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