Mazar-i-Sharif
Afghanistan · Balkh · 380 m
Description
Mazar-i-Sharif grew up around one building, the Shrine of Hazrat Ali, which Afghans hold to be the grave of the fourth caliph and which gives the city its name, the noble tomb. The blue-tiled domes and the courtyard around them are kept white with thousands of pigeons that are fed there and never leave. Nowruz on the twenty-first of March brings the Jahenda Bala, the raising of the banner, and tens of thousands come for it. Balkh, the older city, is half an hour west. The plains north run to the Uzbek border. Whether Ali is buried here at all is disputed outside Afghanistan.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – April or October – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Shrine of Hazrat Ali and its blue domes
- Jahenda Bala banner raising at Nowruz (21 March)
- White pigeons of the shrine courtyard
- Tilework of the shrine gates
- Mazar bazaar and the carpet dealers
- Ruins of ancient Balkh to the west(Day trip)
- Buzkashi on the northern plains (approx. November)
- Turkmen and Uzbek jewellery stalls
- Shrine at night with the domes lit
- Kebab houses around the shrine square
Getting there
- Airports:
- MZR