Herat
Afghanistan · 920 m
Description
Herat was the capital of the Timurid renaissance under Queen Gawhar Shad and its painters and calligraphers set the standard for Persian miniature for a century. The Friday Mosque covers a hectare and its whole facade is glazed tilework, remade by a workshop on the site that has never stopped. Five of the twenty minarets of the Musalla complex still stand in a field, braced with steel cables, after the British-backed Amir razed the rest in 1885 to deny the Russians a base. The citadel of Alexander is rebuilt on its mound above the old bazaars. The city sits sixty-five kilometres from the Iranian border and has always traded that way.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 4 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May or October – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Friday Mosque and its tile workshop
- Minarets of the Musalla complex
- Citadel of Alexander
- Gawhar Shad's mausoleum
- Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah at Gazar Gah
- Covered bazaar and the glassblowers
- Herat carpets and silk workshops
- Old city lanes below the citadel
- Herat Museum in the citadel
- Pine nuts and saffron in the market
Getting there
- Airports:
- HEA