Mazar-e Sharif | Afghanistan, Map, & Facts

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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-title="Mazār-e Sharīf" data-published-date="12 Jul. 2024" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mazar-e-Sharif" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=371165] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Mazār-e Sharīf" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mazar-e-Sharif" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mazar-e-Sharif">https://www.britannica.com/place/Mazar-e-Sharif</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> <div> <button class="qa-external-website-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=371165] .md-websites-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 mr-5" data-icon="link"></em> External Websites </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/371165"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mazar-e-Sharif/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also spelled: </dt> <dd>Mazar-i Sharif</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Mazar-e-Sharif"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref242429"></span>Mazār-e Sharīf</strong>, city, northern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Afghanistan</a>, 35 miles (56 km) south of the border with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Uzbekistan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uzbekistan</a>, at an elevation of 1,250 feet (380 metres). The town <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="derives" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/derives" data-type="EB">derives</a> its name (meaning “tomb of the saint”) from the reputed <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/tomb" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">tomb</a> of the caliph <span id="ref242430"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ali-Muslim-caliph" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ʿAlī</a>, son-in-law of the Prophet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Muhammad</a>, over which a blue-tiled mosque and shrine were erected in the 15th century. Afghan tradition holds that the tomb was first discovered by revelation in the 12th century and the original shrine was destroyed after the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The tomb is venerated by all Muslims, especially Shiʿis. Mazār-e Sharīf’s growth and the corresponding decline of the much older town of <span id="ref242431"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Balkh" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Balkh</a>, a few miles to the west, date from this discovery.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="291551" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/50/247050-050-50FC994F/Locator-map-Mazar-e-Sharif.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/371165/291551"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/50/247050-050-50FC994F/Locator-map-Mazar-e-Sharif.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/50/247050-050-50FC994F/Locator-map-Mazar-e-Sharif.jpg?w=300" alt="Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan" data-width="2000" data-height="1700" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/50/247050-050-50FC994F/Locator-map-Mazar-e-Sharif.jpg" data-href="/media/1/371165/291551">Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Mazār-e Sharīf came under Afghan rule in 1852 and became the political <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="hub" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/hub" data-type="EB">hub</a> of Afghan Turkistan in 1869. After their <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Afghan-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">military intervention in 1979</a>, Soviet forces established a military command in the town. It was later the site of brutal fighting and atrocities between competing Afghan factions and changed hands several times. The city was controlled by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taliban" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Taliban</a> from 1998 to late 2001, when it was taken with little violence by a coalition of Afghan, U.S., and allied forces; a subsequent uprising at a prison there holding Taliban troops and their allies, however, left hundreds dead.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Mazār-e Sharīf is located in one of Afghanistan’s most fertile regions, extensively irrigated by the Balkh River and producing cotton, grain, and fruit. The town’s industries include flour milling and the manufacturing of silk and cotton textiles. It is connected by road and air with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kabul" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kabul</a>, 200 miles (320 km) southeast, and other Afghan cities and is the country’s chief <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="transit" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/transit" data-type="EB">transit</a> point for Central Asian trade. A well-known Islamic theology school is located there. The inhabitants of Mazār-e Sharīf are mainly <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uzbek-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uzbeks</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tajik-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tajiks</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Turkmen-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Turkmens</a>. Pop. (2006 est.) 300,600; (2020 est.) 484,500.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Adam-Zeidan/12409087">Adam Zeidan</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":371165,"pageLength":310,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Mazar-e Sharif | Afghanistan, Map, & Facts | Britannica