Mazari Sharif

Coordinates: 36°42′00″N 67°07′01″E / 36.700°N 67.117°E / 36.700; 67.117

Mazāri Sharīf مزارِ شریف
The historic Blue Mosque in Mazari Sharif
Mazāri Sharīf
Province	Balkh
Coordinates	36°42′00″N 67°07′01″E / 36.700°N 67.117°E / 36.700; 67.117
Population  (2006[update])	300,600 (4th) Central Statistics Office of Afghanistan
Area  - Elevation	380 m (1,247 ft)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 Kabul

Mazār-e Sharīf or Mazāri Sharīf (Persian: مزارِ شریف) is the fourth largest city of Afghanistan, with population of 300,600 people (2006 estimate). It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by roads to Kabul in the south-east, Herat to the west and Uzbekistan to the north. Mazari Sharif means "Noble Shrine," a reference to the large, blue-tiled sanctuary and mosque in the center of the city known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali or the Blue Mosque. It is believed by some Muslims that the site of the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, is in Mazari Sharif. Twelver Shi'as however, believe that the real grave of Ali is found within Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, as was disclosed by the Sixth Twelver Shi'a Imam, Ja'far as-Sadiq.^[1] The city is a major tourist attraction because of its fabulous Muslim and Hellenistic archeological sites. In July 2006, the discovery of new Hellenistic remains was announced.^[2] The ethnic majority in the city are Tajiks.

History

According to tradition, Mazari Sharif owes its existence to a dream. At the beginning of the 1100s, a local mullah had a dream in which Ali bin Abi Talib, the Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law and one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs appeared to reveal that he had been secretly buried near the city of Balkh. After investigation, the Seljuk sultan Sanjar ordered a city and shrine to be built on the spot, where it stood until its destruction by Genghis Khan. Although later rebuilt, Mazar stood in the shadow of its neighbor Balkh, until that city was abandoned in 1866 for health reasons.

Some of the artwork on the Blue Mosque.

During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Mazari Sharif was a strategic base for the Soviet Army, as they used its airport to launch air strikes on Afghan mujahideen. In the early 1990s, after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, control of Mazar was contested by the Tajik militias (Jamiat-e Islami of Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, and the Uzbek militia Jumbesh-e Melli led by Abdul Rashid Dostum. As a garrison for the communist Afghan army, the city was under the command of Dostum, who mutinied against Najibullah's regime in 1992 and established the autonomous administration of North Afghanistan with the aid of Massoud.^{[citation needed]}

Under Dostum's Uzbek Jumbesh-e Melli militia from the early 1990s to early 1997, Mazar was an oasis of peace during the civil war, and as the rest of the country disintegrated and was slowly taken over by the Taliban, Dostum strengthened political ties with the newly independent central Asian states and Turkey, printed his own currency and established his own airline. This peace was shattered in May 1997, when he was betrayed by one of his generals, Abdul Malik Pahlawan, and he fled Mazar as the Taliban were getting ready to take the city.

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A brief look at the imaginary report on the situation of human rights at Mazar-I-Sharif

Between May and July 1997, the Taliban unsuccessfully attempted to take Mazar, leading to approximately 3,000 Taliban soldiers being massacred by Abdul Malik and his Shia followers.^[3] In retaliation for this incident, the Taliban on August 8, 1998, was reported to have returned and led a six-day killing frenzy of Hazaras, a report which was refuted in a report that pointed out that all claims of military deaths were sourced and referenced, but the accounts of civilian massacres were not attributable to any reliable source and were allegedly fabricated by enemies of their rule.^[4] Soon after, the city was occupied and taken over by the Taliban. It was this capture of Mazar, the last major city in Afghanistan to fall to the Taliban, that prompted Pakistan's recognition of the Taliban regime. Soon afterward, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia extended official recognition to the regime, while Turkmenistan resumed relations - although the Taliban was not officially recognized by Turkmenbashi as the rulers of Afghanistan.

Following 9/11, Mazar was the first Afghan city to fall to the Northern Alliance (former militias). The Taliban's defeat in Mazar quickly turned into a rout from the rest of the north and west of Afghanistan. On November 9, 2001 the city was recaptured by the Afghan Northern Alliance after the Battle of Mazar e Sharif with help from the United States Special Operations Forces. As many as 2,000 Taliban fighters who surrendered were reportedly massacred by the Northern Alliance after the battle, and reports also place U.S. troops at the scene of the massacre.^[5] The Irish documentary Afghan Massacre - the Convoy of Death investigated these allegations. Filmmaker Doran claims that mass graves of thousands of victims were found by United Nations investigators.^[6] The Bush administration reportedly blocked investigations into the incident.^[7]

Small scale clashes between militias belonging to different commanders persisted throughout 2002, and were the focus of intensive UN peace-brokering and small arms disarmament programme. After some pressure, an office of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission opened an office in Mazar in April 2003. There were also reports about northern Pashtun people being ethnic cleansed by the other groups.^[8]

Mazari Sharif is currently in full control of the Military of Afghanistan led by president Harnid Karzail, under the new Afghan government that is led by US backed President Hamid Karzai. There are also NATO peacekeeping forces in and around the city providing assistance to the new government. The German lead ISAF Regional Command North is stationed in the Camp Marmal which lies near to the city at an airport. Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Mazari Sharif is led by Sweden. Norwegian and Latvian forces also operate out of the Norwegian Camp Nidaros, which is part of the German Camp Marmal.

Climate

The climate in Mazari Sharif is very hot during the summer with daily temperatures of over 40°C or 104 degree Fahrenheit in June and July. The winters are cold with tempatures falling below freezing.

Demography

The population of Mazari Sharif is dominated by Tajiks, although there are some significant numbers of Turkmen, Uzbeks, Hazaras, and Pashtuns.^[8] The dominant language in Mazari Sharif is Persian.

Industry

The local economy is dominated by agriculture and karakul production; small scale oil and gas exploitation have boosted the city's prospects. There is some trade with Uzbekistan via the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge over the river Amu Darya.

Local Events

Mazari Sharif is famous for playing Buzkashi, which is a local sport.

The city is a traditional centre for Buzkashi, and the Blue Mosque is the focus of Afghanistan’s Nawroz celebrations.

Directory

The modern city of Mazar-i Sharif is centered around the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. Much restored, it is one of Afghanistan’s most glorious monuments. Outside Mazar-i Sharif lies the ancient city of Balkh.

The gardens inside the Blue Mosque.

• Airports
  • Mazari Sharif Airport

• Shrines & Mosques
  • Shrine of Hazrat Ali

• Hotels
  • Serena Hotel (coming soon)

• Universities
  • Balkh University

• Banks
  • Da Afghanistan Bank
  • Afghanistan International Bank (AIB)
  • Kabul Bank
  • Azizi Bank

See also

• Battle of Qala-i-Jangi

References

• Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. Link

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mazar Sharif

• Map of Mazari Sharif
• Mazar-i-Sharif (In German)