Balkh
Afghanistan · 360 m
Description
Balkh was Bactra, one of the oldest cities anywhere, a Zoroastrian centre that Alexander took and married into, then a Buddhist one with a monastery the Arabs called the mother of cities, then a Muslim one that Genghis Khan levelled and that never recovered. What is left is a ring of mud walls around empty ground and one extraordinary building, the ninth-century No Gonbad mosque, the oldest Islamic monument in the country, its stucco columns still carrying carved vine patterns. The shrine of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa stands under a fluted blue dome. Rumi was born in or near it before his family fled the Mongols westwards.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – April or October – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- No Gonbad Mosque and its stucco columns
- Shrine of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa
- Ring of ancient mud walls
- Bala Hisar citadel mound
- Tomb of the poet Rabia Balkhi
- Site of the Buddhist Nava Vihara
- Chesma-e Shafa spring south of the town
- Park and teahouses by the shrine
Getting there
- Nearest airports:
- MZR