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<span>History</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-History-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle History subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-History-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Ancient_Bactrian_religion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ancient_Bactrian_religion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Ancient Bactrian religion</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Ancient_Bactrian_religion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Zoroastrianism_and_Buddhism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Zoroastrianism_and_Buddhism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Zoroastrianism and Buddhism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Zoroastrianism_and_Buddhism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Judaism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Judaism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Judaism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Judaism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Arab_conquests_and_Islamization" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Arab_conquests_and_Islamization"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4</span> <span>Arab conquests and Islamization</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Arab_conquests_and_Islamization-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Iranic_and_Turkic_dynasties" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Iranic_and_Turkic_dynasties"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4.1</span> <span>Iranic and Turkic dynasties</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Iranic_and_Turkic_dynasties-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mongol_conquest_and_destruction" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mongol_conquest_and_destruction"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.5</span> <span>Mongol conquest and destruction</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mongol_conquest_and_destruction-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-16th_to_19th_centuries" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#16th_to_19th_centuries"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.6</span> <span>16th to 19th centuries</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-16th_to_19th_centuries-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-20th_to_21st_centuries" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#20th_to_21st_centuries"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.7</span> <span>20th to 21st centuries</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-20th_to_21st_centuries-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Archaeological_sites" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Archaeological_sites"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Archaeological sites</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Archaeological_sites-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Archaeological sites subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Archaeological_sites-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Ancient_Buddhist" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ancient_Buddhist"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Ancient Buddhist</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Ancient_Buddhist-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Medieval_Islamic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Medieval_Islamic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Medieval Islamic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Medieval_Islamic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Displays_at_the_Balkh_Museum" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Displays_at_the_Balkh_Museum"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Displays at the Balkh Museum</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Displays_at_the_Balkh_Museum-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notable_people" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notable_people"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Notable people</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Notable_people-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Notable people subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Notable_people-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Poets" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Poets"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Poets</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Poets-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Scientists" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Scientists"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Scientists</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Scientists-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Heads_of_state" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Heads_of_state"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Heads of state</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Heads_of_state-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religious_figures" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religious_figures"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.4</span> <span>Religious figures</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Religious_figures-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Balkh</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 76 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-76" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">76 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-als mw-list-item"><a href="https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – Alemannic" lang="gsw" hreflang="gsw" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Alemannisch" data-language-local-name="Alemannic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Alemannisch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hyw mw-list-item"><a href="https://hyw.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8A%D5%A1%D5%AC%D5%AD" title="Պալխ – Western Armenian" lang="hyw" hreflang="hyw" data-title="Պալխ" data-language-autonym="Արեւմտահայերէն" data-language-local-name="Western Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Արեւմտահայերէն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh_(ciud%C3%A1)" title="Balkh (ciudá) – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Balkh (ciudá)" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C9%99lx_(%C5%9F%C9%99h%C9%99r)" title="Bəlx (şəhər) – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Bəlx (şəhər)" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8D%E2%80%8C%E0%A6%96" title="বাল্‌খ – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="বাল্‌খ" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bcl mw-list-item"><a href="https://bcl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Central Bikol" lang="bcl" hreflang="bcl" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Bikol Central" data-language-local-name="Central Bikol" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bikol Central</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bs mw-list-item"><a href="https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belh" title="Belh – Bosnian" lang="bs" hreflang="bs" data-title="Belh" data-language-autonym="Bosanski" data-language-local-name="Bosnian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bosanski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ceb mw-list-item"><a href="https://ceb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh_(kapital_sa_distrito)" title="Balkh (kapital sa distrito) – Cebuano" lang="ceb" hreflang="ceb" data-title="Balkh (kapital sa distrito)" data-language-autonym="Cebuano" data-language-local-name="Cebuano" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Cebuano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cy mw-list-item"><a href="https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Welsh" lang="cy" hreflang="cy" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Cymraeg" data-language-local-name="Welsh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Cymraeg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%87" title="Μπαλχ – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Μπαλχ" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balj" title="Balj – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Balj" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal%C4%A5o" title="Balĥo – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Balĥo" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fy mw-list-item"><a href="https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch_(st%C3%AAd)" title="Balch (stêd) – Western Frisian" lang="fy" hreflang="fy" data-title="Balch (stêd)" data-language-autonym="Frysk" data-language-local-name="Western Frisian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Frysk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%B0%9C%ED%9D%90" title="발흐 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="발흐" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ha mw-list-item"><a href="https://ha.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Hausa" lang="ha" hreflang="ha" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Hausa" data-language-local-name="Hausa" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hausa</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B2%D5%A1%D5%AC%D5%AD" title="Բալխ – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Բալխ" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%BC" title="बल्ख़ – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="बल्ख़" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-os mw-list-item"><a href="https://os.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85_(%D1%81%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80)" title="Балх (сахар) – Ossetic" lang="os" hreflang="os" data-title="Балх (сахар)" data-language-autonym="Ирон" data-language-local-name="Ossetic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ирон</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%97%27" title="בלח' – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="בלח'" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ka mw-list-item"><a href="https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%AE%E1%83%98" title="ბალხი – Georgian" lang="ka" hreflang="ka" data-title="ბალხი" data-language-autonym="ქართული" data-language-local-name="Georgian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ქართული</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ku mw-list-item"><a href="https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belx" title="Belx – Kurdish" lang="ku" hreflang="ku" data-title="Belx" data-language-autonym="Kurdî" data-language-local-name="Kurdish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kurdî</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-la mw-list-item"><a href="https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactra" title="Bactra – Latin" lang="la" hreflang="la" data-title="Bactra" data-language-autonym="Latina" data-language-local-name="Latin" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balha" title="Balha – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Balha" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balchas" title="Balchas – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Balchas" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balh" title="Balh – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Balh" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AC%E0%B5%BD%E0%B4%96%E0%B5%8D" title="ബൽഖ് – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="ബൽഖ്" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-arz mw-list-item"><a href="https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Egyptian Arabic" lang="arz" hreflang="arz" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="مصرى" data-language-local-name="Egyptian Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>مصرى</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daerah_Balkh" title="Daerah Balkh – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Daerah Balkh" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch_(Afghanistan)" title="Balch (Afghanistan) – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Balch (Afghanistan)" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95" title="バルフ – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="バルフ" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uz mw-list-item"><a href="https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balx" title="Balx – Uzbek" lang="uz" hreflang="uz" data-title="Balx" data-language-autonym="Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча" data-language-local-name="Uzbek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pa mw-list-item"><a href="https://pa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A8%AC%E0%A8%B2%E0%A8%96%E0%A8%BC" title="ਬਲਖ਼ – Punjabi" lang="pa" hreflang="pa" data-title="ਬਲਖ਼" data-language-autonym="ਪੰਜਾਬੀ" data-language-local-name="Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ਪੰਜਾਬੀ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pnb mw-list-item"><a href="https://pnb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Western Punjabi" lang="pnb" hreflang="pnb" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="پنجابی" data-language-local-name="Western Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>پنجابی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ps mw-list-item"><a href="https://ps.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Pashto" lang="ps" hreflang="ps" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="پښتو" data-language-local-name="Pashto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>پښتو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactro" title="Bactro – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Bactro" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85_(%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4)" title="Балх (город) – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Балх (город)" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belh" title="Belh – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Belh" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balch" title="Balch – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Balch" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balh" title="Balh – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Balh" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-so mw-list-item"><a href="https://so.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balakh" title="Balakh – Somali" lang="so" hreflang="so" data-title="Balakh" data-language-autonym="Soomaaliga" data-language-local-name="Somali" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Soomaaliga</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balh" title="Balh – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Balh" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81" title="பல்கு – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="பல்கு" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tt mw-list-item"><a href="https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D3%99%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%85" title="Бәлех – Tatar" lang="tt" hreflang="tt" data-title="Бәлех" data-language-autonym="Татарча / tatarça" data-language-local-name="Tatar" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Татарча / tatarça</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%84%E0%B9%8C" title="แบลค์ – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="แบลค์" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tg mw-list-item"><a href="https://tg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Tajik" lang="tg" hreflang="tg" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Тоҷикӣ" data-language-local-name="Tajik" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Тоҷикӣ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belh" title="Belh – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Belh" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%85" title="Балх – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Балх" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AE" title="بلخ – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="بلخ" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-war mw-list-item"><a href="https://war.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkh" title="Balkh – Waray" lang="war" hreflang="war" data-title="Balkh" data-language-autonym="Winaray" data-language-local-name="Waray" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Winaray</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wuu mw-list-item"><a href="https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%B4%E5%B0%94%E8%B5%AB" title="巴尔赫 – Wu" lang="wuu" hreflang="wuu" data-title="巴尔赫" data-language-autonym="吴语" data-language-local-name="Wu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>吴语</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%AB%E5%89%8C%E9%BB%91" title="八剌黑 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="八剌黑" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%B4%E5%B0%94%E8%B5%AB" title="巴尔赫 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="巴尔赫" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q182159#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Balkh" title="View the content 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href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Balkh&params=36_45_29_N_66_53_53_E_region:AF_type:city"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">36°45′29″N</span> <span class="longitude">66°53′53″E</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">36.75806°N 66.89806°E</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">36.75806; 66.89806</span></span></span></a></span></span></div></div> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Town in Balkh Province, Afghanistan</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about the town in Afghanistan. For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Balkh_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Balkh (disambiguation)">Balkh (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Bactra" redirects here. For the moth genus, see <a href="/wiki/Bactra_(moth)" title="Bactra (moth)"><i>Bactra</i> (moth)</a>.</div> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Town in Balkh Province, Afghanistan</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1043192559">.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement{width:23em;border-collapse:collapse;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement td,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement th{border-top:1px solid #a2a9b1;padding:0.4em 0.6em 0.4em 0.6em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedtoprow .infobox-full-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedtoprow .infobox-header,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedtoprow .infobox-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedtoprow .infobox-label,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedtoprow .infobox-below{border-top:1px solid #a2a9b1;padding:0.4em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedrow .infobox-full-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedrow .infobox-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedrow .infobox-label{border:0;padding:0 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedbottomrow .infobox-full-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedbottomrow .infobox-data,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .mergedbottomrow .infobox-label{border-top:0;border-bottom:1px solid #a2a9b1;padding:0 0.6em 0.4em 0.6em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .maptable{border:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .infobox-header,.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .infobox-below{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .infobox-above{font-size:125%;line-height:1.3em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement .infobox-subheader{background-color:#cddeff;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-native{font-weight:normal;padding-top:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-other-name{font-size:78%}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-official{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-caption{padding:0.3em 0 0 0}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-caption-link{padding:0.2em 0}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-nickname{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .ib-settlement-fn{font-weight:normal;display:inline}</style><table class="infobox ib-settlement vcard"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above"><div class="fn org">Balkh</div> <div class="nickname ib-settlement-native" lang="prs"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r886047488">.mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal}</style><span class="nobold"><span title="Dari-language text"><span lang="prs" dir="rtl"><span class="Nastaliq" dir="rtl" title="Nastaliq" style="font-family: 'Jameel Noori Nastaleeq', 'Urdu Typesetting', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu Draft', 'Hussaini Nastaleeq', 'AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq', IranNastaliq, 'Awami Nastaliq', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta3', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta2', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta1', 'Nafees Nastaleeq', 'Nafees Nastaleeq v1.01', 'Pak Nastaleeq', 'PDMS_Jauhar', 'Alvi Lahori Nastaleeq'; font-size: 110%; font-style: normal;">بلخ</span></span></span></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader"><div class="category"><a href="/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Afghanistan" title="List of cities in Afghanistan">Town</a></div></td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:15c_green_mosque.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Ruins of the Green Mosque of Balkh, July 2001"><img alt="Ruins of the Green Mosque of Balkh, July 2001" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/15c_green_mosque.jpg/240px-15c_green_mosque.jpg" decoding="async" width="240" height="359" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/15c_green_mosque.jpg/360px-15c_green_mosque.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/15c_green_mosque.jpg/480px-15c_green_mosque.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2506" data-file-height="3746" /></a></span><div class="ib-settlement-caption">Ruins of the <a href="/wiki/Green_Mosque,_Balkh" title="Green Mosque, Balkh">Green Mosque of Balkh</a>, July 2001</div></td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238443738">.mw-parser-output .locmap .od{position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .id{position:absolute;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .locmap .l0{font-size:0;position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv{line-height:110%;position:absolute;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv>div{display:inline;padding:1px}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:left}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pv>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pl>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pr>div{background:#fff!important;color:#000!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .locmap{filter:grayscale(0.6)}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data .locmap div{background:transparent!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .locmap{filter:grayscale(0.6)}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pv>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pl>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pr>div{background:white!important;color:#000!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data .locmap div{background:transparent!important}}</style><div class="center"><div class="locmap" style="width:300px;float:none;clear:both;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"><div style="width:300px;padding:0"><div style="position:relative;width:300px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Afghanistan_physical_map.svg" class="mw-file-description" title="Balkh is located in Afghanistan"><img alt="Balkh is located in Afghanistan" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Afghanistan_physical_map.svg/300px-Afghanistan_physical_map.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="221" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Afghanistan_physical_map.svg/450px-Afghanistan_physical_map.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Afghanistan_physical_map.svg/600px-Afghanistan_physical_map.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1807" data-file-height="1331" /></a></span><div class="od notheme" style="top:20.836%;left:45.085%;font-size:91%"><div class="id" style="left:-3px;top:-3px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Balkh"><img alt="Balkh" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/6px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="6" height="6" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/9px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;top:4px;left:-3em"><div>Balkh</div></div></div></div><div style="padding-top:0.2em">Location in Afghanistan</div></div></div></div></td></tr><tr class="mergedbottomrow"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">Coordinates: <span class="geo-inline"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1156832818">.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}</style><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><a class="external text" href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Balkh&params=36_45_29_N_66_53_53_E_region:AF_type:city"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">36°45′29″N</span> <span class="longitude">66°53′53″E</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">36.75806°N 66.89806°E</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">36.75806; 66.89806</span></span></span></a></span></span></td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Country</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="500" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Afghanistan" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a></td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Provinces_of_Afghanistan" title="Provinces of Afghanistan">Province</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Balkh_Province" title="Balkh Province">Balkh Province</a></td></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Districts of Afghanistan">District</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Balkh_District" title="Balkh District">Balkh District</a></td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Population<div class="ib-settlement-fn"><span class="nowrap"> </span>(2021)<sup id="cite_ref-NSIA_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NSIA-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></div></th></tr><tr class="mergedrow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"> • Town<div class="ib-settlement-fn"></div></th><td class="infobox-data">138,594<sup id="cite_ref-nsia_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nsia-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Time_zone" title="Time zone">Time zone</a></th><td class="infobox-data">+ 4.30</td></tr><tr class="mergedtoprow"><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification" title="Köppen climate classification">Climate</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Semi-arid_climate#Cold_semi-arid_climates" title="Semi-arid climate">BSk</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p><p><b>Balkh</b><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is a town in the <a href="/wiki/Balkh_Province" title="Balkh Province">Balkh Province</a> of <a href="/wiki/Afghanistan" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>. It is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the northwest of the provincial capital city <a href="/wiki/Mazar-i-Sharif" title="Mazar-i-Sharif">Mazar-i-Sharif</a> and approximately 74 kilometres (46 mi) to the south of the <a href="/wiki/Amu_Darya" title="Amu Darya">Amu Darya</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Afghanistan%E2%80%93Uzbekistan_border" title="Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border">Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border</a>. In 2021–2022, the <a href="/wiki/National_Statistics_and_Information_Authority" title="National Statistics and Information Authority">National Statistics and Information Authority</a> reported that the town had 138,594 residents.<sup id="cite_ref-nsia_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nsia-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Listed as the <a href="/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Afghanistan" title="List of cities in Afghanistan">eighth largest settlement in the country</a>, unofficial 2024 estimates set its population at around 114,883 people.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Historically, the site of present-day Balkh was held in considerably high regard due to its religious and political significance in <a href="/wiki/Ariana" title="Ariana">Ariana</a>. A hub of <a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism" title="Zoroastrianism">Zoroastrianism</a> and <a href="/wiki/Buddhism" title="Buddhism">Buddhism</a>, the ancient city was also known to the <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Iran" class="mw-redirect" title="Ancient Iran">Persians</a> as <b>Zariaspa</b> and to the <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greece" title="Ancient Greece">Greeks</a> as <b>Bactra</b>, giving its name to <a href="/wiki/Bactria" title="Bactria">Bactria</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As such, it was famously known as the capital of Bactria or <a href="/wiki/Tokharistan" title="Tokharistan">Tokharistan</a>. The Italian explorer and writer <a href="/wiki/Marco_Polo" title="Marco Polo">Marco Polo</a> described Balkh as "a noble city and a great seat of learning" prior to the <a href="/wiki/Mongol_invasions_and_conquests" title="Mongol invasions and conquests">Mongol conquests</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Most of the town now consists of ruined buildings, situated some 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the right bank of the seasonally flowing <a href="/wiki/Balkh_River" title="Balkh River">Balkh River</a>, at an elevation of about 365 metres (1,198 ft). </p><p>While it is one of Afghanistan's ethnically diverse settlements, <a href="/wiki/Tajiks" title="Tajiks">Tajiks</a> account for a substantial portion of Balkh's populace<sup id="cite_ref-nsia2_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nsia2-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-nps_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nps-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and have continuously inhabited the site for millennia.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The main language of the town is <a href="/wiki/Dari" title="Dari">Dari</a>, which is spoken by a significant majority.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Balkh's surrounding region is particularly known for its archeological sites, which attest the presence of many different civilizations that influenced the town's society in various eras. The Belgian-French explorer and spiritualist <a href="/wiki/Alexandra_David-N%C3%A9el" title="Alexandra David-Néel">Alexandra David-Néel</a> associated Balkh with <a href="/wiki/Shambhala" title="Shambhala">Shambhala</a>, a mythical kingdom that features prominently in ancient <a href="/wiki/Tibetan_Buddhism" title="Tibetan Buddhism">Tibetan Buddhism</a>, and also offered the Persian <i>Sham-i-Bala</i> (<abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">elevated candle</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) as an etymology of its name.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In a similar vein, the British author <a href="/wiki/John_G._Bennett" title="John G. Bennett">John G. Bennett</a>, whose academic focus was on the teachings of the Armenian-Greek mystic <a href="/wiki/George_Gurdjieff" title="George Gurdjieff">George Gurdjieff</a>, speculated in his works that Shambhala may have been a Bactrian <a href="/wiki/Sun_temple" title="Sun temple">Sun temple</a> called <i>Shams-i-Balkh</i>, taking note of the Afghan author and mystic <a href="/wiki/Idries_Shah" title="Idries Shah">Idries Shah</a> as the source of this suggestion.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Etymology">Etymology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Etymology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Wilhelm_Eilers" title="Wilhelm Eilers">Wilhelm Eilers</a> proposed that the region was named after the <a href="/wiki/Balkh_River" title="Balkh River">Balkh River</a> (in Greek transliteration <i>Βάκτρος</i>) from underlying <i>Bāxtri-</i>, itself meaning 'she who divides', etymologically from the <a href="/wiki/Proto-Indo-European" class="mw-redirect" title="Proto-Indo-European">Proto-Indo-European</a> root *<i><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/b%CA%B0eh%E2%82%82g-" class="extiw" title="wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰeh₂g-">bhag-</a></i> 'to divide' (whence also <a href="/wiki/Avestan" title="Avestan">Avestan</a> <span title="Avestan-language text"><i lang="ae">bag-</i></span> and <a href="/wiki/Vedic_Sanskrit" title="Vedic Sanskrit">Old Indic</a> <span title="Vedic Sanskrit-language text"><i lang="vsn">bháj-</i></span>).<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Bactrian_language" title="Bactrian language">Bactrian language</a> name of the city was βαχλο, i.e. <i>Bakhlo</i>. In <a href="/wiki/Middle_Persian_literature" title="Middle Persian literature">Middle Persian texts</a>, it was named <i>Baxl,</i> i.e. <i>Bakhl</i> <i>(</i><a href="/wiki/Middle_Persian_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Middle Persian language">Middle Persian</a>: <span lang="pal" dir="rtl">𐭡𐭠𐭧𐭫</span>). The name of the province or country also appears in the <a href="/wiki/Old_Persian" title="Old Persian">Old Persian</a> inscriptions (B.h.i 16; Dar Pers e.16; Nr. a.23) as <i>Bāxtri</i>, i.e. <i>Bakhtri (</i><a href="/wiki/Old_Persian_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Old Persian language">Old Persian</a>: <span lang="peo">𐎲𐎠𐎧𐎫𐎼𐎡𐏁</span>). It is written in the Avesta as <i>Bāxδi</i> (<a href="/wiki/Avestan_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Avestan language">Avestan</a>: <span lang="ae" dir="rtl">𐬠𐬁𐬑𐬜𐬌‎</span>) . From this came the intermediate form <i>Bāxli</i>, <a href="/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a> <i>Bahlīka</i> (also <i><a href="/wiki/Bahlikas" title="Bahlikas">Balhika</a></i>) for "Bactrian", and by transposition the modern Persian <i>Balx</i>, i.e. <i>Balkh</i>, and Armenian <i>Bahl</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This same root entered the Greek language as <i>Baktra</i> (<a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greek" title="Ancient Greek">Ancient Greek</a>: Βάκτρα), often written in the form <i>Bactra</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An earlier name for Balkh or a term for part of the city was <i>Zariaspa</i> (<a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greek" title="Ancient Greek">Ancient Greek</a>: Ζαρίασπα), which may derive from the important Zoroastrian fire temple Azar-i-Asp<sup id="cite_ref-Tarn_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tarn-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or from a <a href="/wiki/Median_language" title="Median language">Median</a> name <span title="Median-language text">*<span lang="xme">Ζaryāspa-</span></span> meaning "having gold-coloured horses".<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The nickname of Balkh is "the Mother of All Cities".<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:BactriaMap.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/BactriaMap.jpg/275px-BactriaMap.jpg" decoding="async" width="275" height="208" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/BactriaMap.jpg/413px-BactriaMap.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/BactriaMap.jpg/550px-BactriaMap.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1905" data-file-height="1440" /></a><figcaption>Map showing Balkh (here indicated as <i>Bactres</i>), the capital of <a href="/wiki/Bactria" title="Bactria">Bactria</a> during the <a href="/wiki/Hellenistic_Age" class="mw-redirect" title="Hellenistic Age">Hellenistic Age</a></figcaption></figure><p>Balkh was earlier considered to be the first city to which the ancient <a href="/wiki/Iranian_peoples" title="Iranian peoples">Iranic</a> peoples moved from north of the <a href="/wiki/Amu_Darya" title="Amu Darya">Amu Darya</a> (also known as the Oxus in Greek), between 2000 and 1500 BC.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However it was only recently that archaeological remains before 500 BC were found by French archaeologists led by Johanna Lhullier and Julio Bendezu-Sarmiento in the section called Bala Hissar, which is the citadel of the site. They dated this first settlement to the Early Iron Age (<a href="/wiki/Yaz_culture" title="Yaz culture">Yaz I</a> period, <abbr title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;"> 1500</span>-1000 BC) continuing until pre-Achaemenid times (<a href="/wiki/Yaz_culture" title="Yaz culture">Yaz II</a> period, c. 1000-540 BC).<sup id="cite_ref-Lhuillier_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lhuillier-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Bala Hissar is located at the north of the site and is oval in shape, having an area of around 1,500 by 1,000 m2 (c. 150 hectares) and to the south is the lower town.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another mound of the site, known as Tepe Zargaran, and the Northern Fortification Wall of Balkh, were occupied at a large extension in <a href="/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire" title="Achaemenid Empire">Achaemenid</a> times (<a href="/wiki/Yaz_culture" title="Yaz culture">Yaz III</a> period, c. 540-330 BC).<sup id="cite_ref-Lhuillier_20-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lhuillier-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Since the Iranic people built one of their first kingdoms in Balkh,<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> some scholars believe that it was from this area that different waves of Iranic tribes spread to north-east <a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Iran</a> and <a href="/wiki/Seistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Seistan">Seistan</a> region. The changing climate has led to <a href="/wiki/Desertification" title="Desertification">desertification</a> since antiquity, when the region was very fertile. Its foundation is mythically ascribed to <a href="/wiki/Keyumars" title="Keyumars">Keyumars</a>, the first king of the world in <a href="/wiki/Iranian_folklore" title="Iranian folklore">Persian legend</a>; and it is at least certain that, at a very early date, it was the rival of <a href="/wiki/Ecbatana" title="Ecbatana">Ecbatana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nineveh" title="Nineveh">Nineveh</a> and <a href="/wiki/Babylon" title="Babylon">Babylon</a>. </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg/275px-Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg" decoding="async" width="275" height="135" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg/413px-Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg/550px-Silver_tetradrachm_of_Euthydemus_I_as_a_youth.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2220" data-file-height="1089" /></a><figcaption>Silver coin of the Greco-Bactrian king <a href="/wiki/Euthydemus_I" title="Euthydemus I">Euthydemus I</a>, one of the rulers of ancient Balkh, 3rd-2nd century BC.</figcaption></figure> <p>The city was traditionally a center of <a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism" title="Zoroastrianism">Zoroastrianism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Tarn_16-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tarn-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For a long time the city and country was the central seat of the dualistic <a href="/wiki/Zoroastrian_religion" class="mw-redirect" title="Zoroastrian religion">Zoroastrian religion</a>, the founder of which, Zoroaster, died within the walls according to the Persian poet <a href="/wiki/Firdowsi" class="mw-redirect" title="Firdowsi">Firdowsi</a>. Armenian sources state that the Arsacid dynasty of the <a href="/wiki/Parthian_Empire" title="Parthian Empire">Parthian Empire</a> established its capital in Balkh. There is a long-standing tradition that an ancient shrine of <a href="/wiki/Anahita" title="Anahita">Anahita</a> was to be found here, a temple so rich it invited plunder. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Alexander_the_Great" title="Alexander the Great">Alexander the Great</a> married <a href="/wiki/Roxana" title="Roxana">Roxana</a> of Bactria after killing the king of Balkh in the 4th century BC, and brought the Greek culture and religion to the region.<sup id="cite_ref-lynne_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lynne-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The city was one of the capitals of the <a href="/wiki/Greco-Bactrian_Kingdom" title="Greco-Bactrian Kingdom">Greco-Bactrian Kingdom</a> and was <a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Bactra" title="Siege of Bactra">besieged for three years</a> by the <a href="/wiki/Seleucid_Empire" title="Seleucid Empire">Seleucid Empire</a> under king <a href="/wiki/Antiochus_III_the_Great" title="Antiochus III the Great">Antiochus III the Great</a>. After the demise of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, it was ruled by <a href="/wiki/Indo-Scythians" title="Indo-Scythians">Indo-Scythians</a>, <a href="/wiki/Parthian_Empire" title="Parthian Empire">Parthians</a>, <a href="/wiki/Indo-Parthians" class="mw-redirect" title="Indo-Parthians">Indo-Parthians</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kushan_Empire" title="Kushan Empire">Kushan Empire</a>, <a href="/wiki/Indo-Sassanids" class="mw-redirect" title="Indo-Sassanids">Indo-Sassanids</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kidarites" title="Kidarites">Kidarites</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hephthalite_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Hephthalite Empire">Hephthalite Empire</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sassanid_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Sassanid Empire">Sassanid Persians</a> before the arrival of the <a href="/wiki/Rashidun_Caliphate" title="Rashidun Caliphate">Arabs</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Ancient_Bactrian_religion">Ancient Bactrian religion</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Ancient Bactrian religion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Bactrian documents - in the <a href="/wiki/Bactrian_language" title="Bactrian language">Bactrian language</a>, written from the fourth to eighth centuries - consistently evoke the name of local deities, such as Kamird and Wakhsh, for example, as witnesses to contracts. The documents come from an area between Balkh and <a href="/wiki/Bamiyan" class="mw-redirect" title="Bamiyan">Bamiyan</a>, which is part of Bactria.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Zoroastrianism_and_Buddhism">Zoroastrianism and Buddhism</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Zoroastrianism and Buddhism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:EpicIndia.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/EpicIndia.jpg/220px-EpicIndia.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="258" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/EpicIndia.jpg/330px-EpicIndia.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/EpicIndia.jpg/440px-EpicIndia.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1002" data-file-height="1176" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Bahlikas" title="Bahlikas">Bahlika Kingdom</a> alongside other locations of kingdoms and republics mentioned in the Indian epics or <a href="/wiki/Bharata_Khanda" class="mw-redirect" title="Bharata Khanda">Bharata Khanda</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>Balkh is well known to Buddhists as the hometown of <a href="/wiki/Trapusa_and_Bahalika" title="Trapusa and Bahalika">Trapusa and Bahalika</a>, two merchants who, according to scripture, became <a href="/wiki/Buddha" class="mw-redirect" title="Buddha">Buddha</a>'s first disciples. They were the first to offer Buddha food after he attained enlightenment, and in return Buddha gave them eight of his hairs to remember him by. According to some accounts, Trapusa and Bahalika returned to Balkh, and built two <a href="/wiki/Stupa" title="Stupa">stupas</a> in the way Buddha instructed. Balkh is therefore named after Bahalika, who is credited with introducing Buddhism to the city. This is reflected in literature, where the town has been called <i>Balhika</i>, <i>Bahlika</i> or <i>Valhika</i>. The first Buddhist monastery (<i>vihara</i>) at Balkh was built for Bahalika when he returned home after becoming a Buddhist monk. </p><p>The Chinese pilgrim <a href="/wiki/Faxian" title="Faxian">Faxian</a> (337-422 CE) traveled to the region in the early 5th century, and found <a href="/wiki/Hinayana_Buddhism" class="mw-redirect" title="Hinayana Buddhism">Hinayana Buddhism</a> prevalent in Shan Shan, <a href="/wiki/Kucha" title="Kucha">Kucha</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kashgar" title="Kashgar">Kashgar</a>, Osh, <a href="/wiki/Udayana" title="Udayana">Udayana</a> and <a href="/wiki/Gandhara" title="Gandhara">Gandhara</a>. Later, the Chinese monk <a href="/wiki/Xuanzang" title="Xuanzang">Xuanzang</a> (602–664 CE) visited Balkh in 630 CE, when it was a flourishing centre of Hinayana Buddhism. According to his memoirs, there were about a hundred Buddhist convents in the city or its vicinity at the time of his visit. There were 3,000 monks and a large number of stupas and other religious monuments. Xuanzang also remarked that Buddhism was widely practiced by the Hunnish rulers of Balkh, who were descended from Indian royal stock.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg/144px-%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg" decoding="async" width="144" height="330" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg/216px-%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg/288px-%E7%8E%8B%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%BE_%E7%99%BD%E9%A1%8C%E5%9C%8B.jpg 2x" data-file-width="340" data-file-height="778" /></a><figcaption>An ambassador from Balkh (白題國 Baitiguo) to the Tang dynasty, Wanghuitu (王會圖), circa 650 CE.</figcaption></figure> <p>During the 8th century, the Korean monk and traveler <a href="/wiki/Hyecho" title="Hyecho">Hyecho</a> (704–787 CE) recorded that even after the Arab invasion, the residents of Balkh continued to practice Buddhism and followed a Buddhist king. He noted that the king of Balkh at the time had fled to nearby <a href="/wiki/Badakshan" class="mw-redirect" title="Badakshan">Badakshan</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The most remarkable Buddhist monastery was the <a href="/wiki/Nava_Vihara" title="Nava Vihara">Nava Vihara</a> ("New Temple"), which possessed a gigantic statue of <a href="/wiki/Gautama_Buddha" class="mw-redirect" title="Gautama Buddha">Gautama Buddha</a>. Located near the city of Balkh, it served as a pilgrimage centre for political leaders who came from far and wide to pay homage to it.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Shortly before the <a href="/wiki/Islamic_conquest_of_Afghanistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Islamic conquest of Afghanistan">Arab conquest</a>, the monastery became a <a href="/wiki/Fire_temple" title="Fire temple">Zoroastrian fire-temple</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2019)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> A curious reference to this building is found in the writings of the geographer <a href="/wiki/Ibn_Hawqal" title="Ibn Hawqal">Ibn Hawqal</a>, an Arab traveler of the 10th century, who describes Balkh as built of clay, with ramparts and six gates, and extending for half a <i><a href="/wiki/Parasang" title="Parasang">parasang</a></i>. He also mentions a castle and a mosque. </p><p>A large number of <a href="/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a> medical, pharmacological, and toxicological texts were translated into Arabic under the patronage of Khalid, the vizier of Al-Mansur. Khalid was the son of a chief priest of a Buddhist monastery. Some of the family were killed when the Arabs captured Balkh; others including Khalid survived by converting to Islam. They would later come to be known as the <a href="/wiki/Barmakids" title="Barmakids">Barmakids</a> of Baghdad.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Judaism">Judaism</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Judaism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Sennacherib" title="Sennacherib">Sennacherib</a>, who reigned over the <a href="/wiki/Neo-Assyrian_Empire" title="Neo-Assyrian Empire">Neo-Assyrian Empire</a> from 705 to 681 BCE, is said to have forcibly transferred some <a href="/wiki/Israelites" title="Israelites">Israelites</a> to Balkh after dispossessing them from the <a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Israel_(Samaria)" title="Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)">Kingdom of Israel</a> during the <a href="/wiki/Assyrian_captivity" title="Assyrian captivity">Assyrian captivity</a>. This account is discussed in the works of the Egyptian historian <a href="/wiki/Al-Maqrizi" title="Al-Maqrizi">Al-Maqrizi</a>, who wrote that the arrival and establishment of the <a href="/wiki/Jews" title="Jews">Jews</a> in Balkh had occurred in light of <a href="/wiki/Sennacherib%27s_campaign_in_the_Levant" title="Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant">Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant</a>. Additionally, a number of geographers from the <a href="/wiki/Arab_world" title="Arab world">Arab world</a> attested the existence of a monument called Bāb al-Yahūd (<abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">Gate of the Jews</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>) and a settlement called al-<a href="/wiki/List_of_Jewish_ethnonyms" title="List of Jewish ethnonyms">Yahūdiyya</a> at the site of Balkh.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some <a href="/wiki/Muslims" title="Muslims">Muslims</a> believe that the Israelite prophet <a href="/wiki/Jeremiah" title="Jeremiah">Jeremiah</a> fled to Balkh during the <a href="/wiki/Babylonian_captivity" title="Babylonian captivity">Babylonian captivity</a> and that the Israelite prophet <a href="/wiki/Ezekiel" title="Ezekiel">Ezekiel</a> was buried there, though Jews revere <a href="/wiki/Ezekiel%27s_Tomb" title="Ezekiel's Tomb">Ezekiel's Tomb</a> in modern-day <a href="/wiki/Iraq" title="Iraq">Iraq</a> as the site of his final resting place.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Balkh's Jewish community was further noted in the <a href="/wiki/Ghaznavids" title="Ghaznavids">Ghaznavid Empire</a> during the 11th century, when Jews were forced to maintain a garden for <a href="/wiki/Mahmud_of_Ghazni" title="Mahmud of Ghazni">Mahmud of Ghazni</a> and pay a <a href="/wiki/Dhimmi" title="Dhimmi">minority tax</a> of 500 <a href="/wiki/Dirham" title="Dirham">dirhams</a>. According to <a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Afghanistan" title="History of the Jews in Afghanistan">Jewish oral history</a>, under <a href="/wiki/Timur" title="Timur">Timur</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Timurid_Empire" title="Timurid Empire">Timurid Empire</a>, the Jews of Balkh were given a gated city quarter of their own to live in.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>There was still a substantial Jewish community in Balkh as late as 1885, as attested by the British administrator <a href="/wiki/Sir_Charles_Yate,_1st_Baronet" title="Sir Charles Yate, 1st Baronet">Charles Yate</a> following the <a href="/wiki/Second_Anglo-Afghan_War" title="Second Anglo-Afghan War">Second Anglo-Afghan War</a>: "a considerable colony of Jews, who have a separate quarter of the village to themselves, and appeared, so far as we could judge, to be fair-looking men with most unmistakably <a href="/wiki/Genetic_studies_of_Jews" title="Genetic studies of Jews">Jewish features</a>."<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Hiwi_al-Balkhi" title="Hiwi al-Balkhi">Hiwi al-Balkhi</a>, a 9th-century <a href="/wiki/Exegesis" title="Exegesis">exegete</a> and <a href="/wiki/Criticism_of_the_Bible" title="Criticism of the Bible">Bible critic</a>, was born in Balkh and is widely believed to have been a <a href="/wiki/Bukharan_Jews" title="Bukharan Jews">Bukharan Jew</a>, at least <a href="/wiki/Ethnic_Jew" class="mw-redirect" title="Ethnic Jew">by ethnicity</a>, as some scholars have asserted that he was a practicing <a href="/wiki/Gnosticism" title="Gnosticism">gnostic Christian</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Arab_conquests_and_Islamization">Arab conquests and Islamization</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Arab conquests and Islamization"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div><p> At the time of the <a href="/wiki/Islamic_conquest_of_Persia" class="mw-redirect" title="Islamic conquest of Persia">Islamic conquest of Persia</a> in the 7th century, however, Balkh had provided an outpost of resistance and a safe haven for the Persian emperor <a href="/wiki/Yazdegerd_III_of_Persia" class="mw-redirect" title="Yazdegerd III of Persia">Yazdegerd III</a> who fled there from the armies of <a href="/wiki/Umar" title="Umar">Umar</a>. Later, in the 9th century, during the reign of <a href="/wiki/Ya%27qub_bin_Laith_as-Saffar" class="mw-redirect" title="Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar">Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar</a>, Islam became firmly rooted in the local population.</p><figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Silver_Dirham.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Silver_Dirham.png" decoding="async" width="170" height="170" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="170" data-file-height="170" /></a><figcaption>A silver dirham of the Umayyad Caliphate, minted at Balkh al-Baida in AH 111 (=729/30 AD).</figcaption></figure><p>Arabs occupied Persia in 642 (during the Caliphate of <a href="/wiki/Uthman" title="Uthman">Uthman</a>, 644–656 AD). Attracted by the grandeur and wealth of Balkh, they attacked it in 645 AD. It was only in 653 when Arab commander al-Ahnaf raided the town again and compelled it to pay tribute. The Arab hold over the town, however, remained tenuous. The area was brought under Arab control only after it was reconquered by <a href="/wiki/Muawiya" class="mw-redirect" title="Muawiya">Muawiya</a> in 663 AD. Prof. Upasak describes the effect of this conquest in these words: "The Arabs plundered the town and killed the people indiscriminately. It is said that they raided the famous Buddhist shrine of <a href="/wiki/Nava_Vihara" title="Nava Vihara">Nava-Vihara</a>, which the Arab historians call 'Nava Bahara' and describe it as one of the magnificent places, which comprised a range of 360 cells around the high stupas'. They plundered the gems and jewels that were studded on many images and stupas and took away the wealth accumulated in the Vihara but probably did no considerable harm to other monastic buildings or to the monks residing there". </p><p>The Arab attacks had little effect on the normal ecclesiastical life in the monasteries or Balkh Buddhist population outside. Buddhism continued to flourish with their monasteries as the centres of Buddhist learning and training. Scholars, monks and pilgrims from China, India and Korea continued to visit this place. Several revolts were made against the Arab rule in Balkh. </p><p>The Arabs' control over Balkh did not last long as it soon came under the rule of a local prince, a zealous Buddhist called Nazak (or Nizak) Tarkhan. He expelled the Arabs from his territories in 670 or 671. He is said to have not only reprimanded the Chief Priest (Barmak) of Nava-Vihara but beheaded him for embracing Islam. As per another account, when Balkh was conquered by the Arabs, the head priest of the Nava-Vihara had gone to the capital and became a Muslim. This displeased the people of the Balkh. He was deposed and his son was placed in his position. </p><p>Nazak Tarkhan is also said to have murdered not only the Chief Priest but also his sons. Only a young son was saved. He was taken by his mother to Kashmir where he was given training in medicine, astronomy and other sciences. Later they returned to Balkh. Prof. Maqbool Ahmed observes "One is tempted to think that the family originated from Kashmir, for in time of distress, they took refuge in the Valley. Whatever it be, their Kashmiri origin is undoubted and this also explains the deep interest of the Barmaks, in later years, in Kashmir, for we know they were responsible for inviting several scholars and physicians from Kashmir to the Court of Abbasids." Prof. Maqbool also refers to the descriptions of Kashmir contained in the report prepared by the envoy of Yahya bin Barmak. He surmises that the envoy could have possibly visited Kashmir during the reign of Samgramapida II (797–801). Reference has been made to sages and arts.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (November 2018)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>The Arabs managed to bring Balkh under their control only in 715 AD, in spite of strong resistance offered by the Balkh people during the <a href="/wiki/Umayyad" class="mw-redirect" title="Umayyad">Umayyad</a> period. <a href="/wiki/Qutayba_ibn_Muslim_al-Bahili" class="mw-redirect" title="Qutayba ibn Muslim al-Bahili">Qutayba ibn Muslim al-Bahili</a>, an Arab General was Governor of <a href="/wiki/Khurasan" class="mw-redirect" title="Khurasan">Khurasan</a> and the east from 705 to 715. He established a firm hold over lands beyond the <a href="/wiki/Oxus" class="mw-redirect" title="Oxus">Oxus</a> for the Arabs. He fought and killed Tarkhan Nizak in <a href="/wiki/Tokharistan" title="Tokharistan">Tokharistan</a> (Bactria) in 715. In the wake of Arab conquest, the resident monks of the Vihara were either killed or forced to abandon their faith. The Viharas were razed to the ground. Priceless treasures in the form of manuscripts in the libraries of monasteries were consigned to ashes. Presently, only the ancient wall of the town, which once encircled it, stands partially. Nava-Vihara stands in ruins, near Takhta-i-Rustam.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 726, the Umayyad governor <a href="/wiki/Asad_ibn_Abdallah_al-Qasri" title="Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri">Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri</a> rebuilt Balkh and installed in it an Arab garrison,<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> while in his second governorship, a decade later, he transferred the provincial capital there.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg/200px-Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="177" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg/300px-Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg/400px-Silver_dirham_of_Abbasids_minted_in_Balh.jpg 2x" data-file-width="458" data-file-height="406" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Dirham" title="Dirham">dirham</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate" title="Abbasid Caliphate">Abbasid Caliphate</a> minted in Balkh</figcaption></figure> <p>The Umayyad period lasted until 747, when <a href="/wiki/Abu_Muslim" title="Abu Muslim">Abu Muslim</a> captured it for the <a href="/wiki/Abbasids" class="mw-redirect" title="Abbasids">Abbasids</a> (next Sunni Caliphate dynasty) during the <a href="/wiki/Abbasid_Revolution" class="mw-redirect" title="Abbasid Revolution">Abbasid Revolution</a>. The city remained in Abbasid hands <a href="/wiki/Anarchy_at_Samarra" title="Anarchy at Samarra">until 861</a>, when it was taken in 870 by the <a href="/wiki/Saffarids" class="mw-redirect" title="Saffarids">Saffarids</a> captured it. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Iranic_and_Turkic_dynasties">Iranic and Turkic dynasties</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Iranic and Turkic dynasties"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Anarchy_at_Samarra" title="Anarchy at Samarra">Anarchy at Samarra</a></div> <p>In 870, <a href="/wiki/Ya%27qub_ibn_al-Layth_al-Saffar" title="Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar">Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar</a> rebelled against Abbasid rule and founded the <a href="/wiki/Saffarid" class="mw-redirect" title="Saffarid">Saffarid</a> dynasty at <a href="/wiki/Sistan" title="Sistan">Sistan</a>. He captured present Afghanistan and most of present <a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Iran</a>. His successor <a href="/wiki/Amr_ibn_al-Layth" title="Amr ibn al-Layth">Amr ibn al-Layth</a>, tried to capture <a href="/wiki/Transoxiana" title="Transoxiana">Transoxiana</a> from the <a href="/wiki/Samanids" class="mw-redirect" title="Samanids">Samanids</a>, who were nominally vassals of Abbasids, but he was defeated and captured by <a href="/wiki/Ismail_Samani" title="Ismail Samani">Ismail Samani</a> at <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Balkh" title="Battle of Balkh">Battle of Balkh</a> in 900. He was sent to the Abbasid Caliph as a prisoner and was executed in 902. The power of Saffarids was diminished and they became vassals of the Samanids. Thus Balkh now passed to them. </p><p>Samanid rule in Balkh lasted until 997, when their former subordinates, the <a href="/wiki/Ghaznavids" title="Ghaznavids">Ghaznavids</a>, captured it. In 1006, Balkh was captured by <a href="/wiki/Kara-Khanid_Khanate" title="Kara-Khanid Khanate">Karakhanids</a>, but Ghaznavids recaptured it 1008. Finally, the <a href="/wiki/Seljuks" class="mw-redirect" title="Seljuks">Seljuks</a> conquered Balkh in 1059. In 1115, it was occupied and looted by irregular <a href="/wiki/Oghuz_Turks" title="Oghuz Turks">Oghuz Turks</a>. Between 1141 and 1142, Balkh was captured by <a href="/wiki/Atsiz" title="Atsiz">Atsiz</a>, Shah of <a href="/wiki/Khwarezmian_Empire" class="mw-redirect" title="Khwarezmian Empire">Khwarezm</a>, after the Seljuks were defeated by the <a href="/wiki/Kara-Khitan" class="mw-redirect" title="Kara-Khitan">Kara-Khitan Khanate</a> at the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Qatwan" title="Battle of Qatwan">Battle of Qatwan</a>. <a href="/wiki/Ahmad_Sanjar" title="Ahmad Sanjar">Ahmad Sanjar</a> decisively defeated a <a href="/wiki/Ghurid_dynasty" title="Ghurid dynasty">Ghurid</a> army, commanded by Ala al-Din Husayn and he took him prisoner for two years before releasing him as a vassal of the Seljuks. The next year, he marched against rebellious Oghuz Turks from <a href="/wiki/Khuttal" title="Khuttal">Khuttal</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tukharistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Tukharistan">Tukharistan</a>. But he was defeated twice and was captured after a second battle in Merv. The Oghuzs looted Khorasan after their victory. </p><p>Balkh was nominally ruled by Mahmud Khan, the former khan of Western Karakhanids, but the real power was held by Muayyid al-Din Ay Aba, amir of <a href="/wiki/Nishabur" class="mw-redirect" title="Nishabur">Nishabur</a> for three years. Sanjar finally escaped from captivity and returned to <a href="/wiki/Merv" title="Merv">Merv</a> through <a href="/wiki/Termez" title="Termez">Termez</a>. He died in 1157 and control of Balkh passed to Mahmud Khan until his death in 1162. It was captured by <a href="/wiki/Khwarazmian_dynasty" class="mw-redirect" title="Khwarazmian dynasty">Khwarezmshahs</a> in 1162, by the <a href="/wiki/Kara-Khitan_Khanate" class="mw-redirect" title="Kara-Khitan Khanate">Kara Khitans</a> in 1165, by the <a href="/wiki/Ghurids" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghurids">Ghurids</a> in 1198 and again by <a href="/wiki/Khwarazmian_dynasty" class="mw-redirect" title="Khwarazmian dynasty">Khwarezmshahs</a> in 1206. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Muhammad_al-Idrisi" title="Muhammad al-Idrisi">Muhammad al-Idrisi</a>, in the 12th century, speaks of its possessing a variety of educational establishments, and carrying on an active trade. There were several important commercial routes from the city, stretching as far east as <a href="/wiki/India" title="India">India</a> and <a href="/wiki/China" title="China">China</a>. The late 12th-century local chronicle <i>The Merits of Balkh (Fada'il-i-Balkh)</i>, by <a href="/wiki/Abu_Ma%27shar_al-Balkhi" title="Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi">Abu Bakr Abdullah al-Wa'iz al-Balkhi</a>, states that a woman known only as the <i>khatun</i> (lady) of Davud, from 848 appointed governor of Balkh, had taken over from him with "particular responsibility for the city and people" while he was busy building himself an elaborate pleasure palace called Nawshǎd (New Joy).<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mongol_conquest_and_destruction">Mongol conquest and destruction</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Mongol conquest and destruction"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 1220 <a href="/wiki/Genghis_Khan" title="Genghis Khan">Genghis Khan</a> sacked Balkh, butchered its inhabitants and levelled all the buildings capable of defence – treatment to which it was again subjected in the 14th century by <a href="/wiki/Timur" title="Timur">Timur</a>. Notwithstanding this, however, <a href="/wiki/Marco_Polo" title="Marco Polo">Marco Polo</a> (probably referring to its past) could still describe it as "a noble city and a great seat of learning." For when <a href="/wiki/Ibn_Battuta" title="Ibn Battuta">Ibn Battuta</a> visited Balkh around 1333 during the rule of the <a href="/wiki/Kartids" class="mw-redirect" title="Kartids">Kartids</a>, who were <a href="/wiki/Tajiks" title="Tajiks">Tadjik</a> vassals of the Persia-based Mongol <a href="/wiki/Ilkhanate" title="Ilkhanate">Ilkhanate</a> until 1335, he described it as a city still in ruins: "It is completely dilapidated and uninhabited, but anyone seeing it would think it to be inhabited because of the solidity of its construction (for it was a vast and important city), and its mosques and colleges preserve their outward appearance even now, with the inscriptions on their buildings incised with lapis-blue paints."<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It was not reconstructed until 1338. It was captured by <a href="/wiki/Tamerlane" class="mw-redirect" title="Tamerlane">Tamerlane</a> in 1389 and its citadel was destroyed, but <a href="/wiki/Shahrukh_Mirza" class="mw-redirect" title="Shahrukh Mirza">Shah Rukh</a>, his successor, rebuilt the citadel in 1407. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="16th_to_19th_centuries">16th to 19th centuries</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: 16th to 19th centuries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg/220px-Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="305" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg/330px-Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg/440px-Balkh_mosque_from_afar.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1074" data-file-height="1489" /></a><figcaption>The Green Mosque of Balkh</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1506 <a href="/wiki/Uzbeks" title="Uzbeks">Uzbeks</a> entered Balkh under the command of <a href="/wiki/Muhammad_Shaybani" title="Muhammad Shaybani">Muhammad Shaybani</a>. They were briefly expelled by the <a href="/wiki/Safavids" class="mw-redirect" title="Safavids">Safavids</a> in 1510. <a href="/wiki/Babur" title="Babur">Babur</a> ruled Balkh between 1511 and 1512 as a vassal of the Persian <a href="/wiki/Safavids" class="mw-redirect" title="Safavids">Safavids</a>. But he was defeated twice by the <a href="/wiki/Khanate_of_Bukhara" title="Khanate of Bukhara">Khanate of Bukhara</a> and was forced to retire to <a href="/wiki/Kabul" title="Kabul">Kabul</a>. Balkh was ruled by Bukhara except for Safavid rule between 1598 and 1601. </p><p>The Mughal Emperor <a href="/wiki/Shah_Jahan" title="Shah Jahan">Shah Jahan</a> fruitlessly fought them there for several years in the 1640s. Nevertheless, Balkh was ruled by the <a href="/wiki/Mughal_Empire" title="Mughal Empire">Mughal Empire</a> from 1641 and turned into a <a href="/wiki/Subah" title="Subah">subah</a> (imperial top-level province) in 1646 by <a href="/wiki/Shah_Jahan" title="Shah Jahan">Shah Jahan</a>, only to be lost in 1647, just like the neighboring <a href="/wiki/Badakhshan_Subah" class="mw-redirect" title="Badakhshan Subah">Badakhshan Subah</a>. Balkh was the government seat of <a href="/wiki/Aurangzeb" title="Aurangzeb">Aurangzeb</a> in his youth. In 1736 it was conquered by <a href="/wiki/Nader_Shah" title="Nader Shah">Nader Shah</a>. After his assassination, local Uzbek Hadji Khan declared the independence of Balkh in 1747, under the <a href="/wiki/Maimana_Khanate" title="Maimana Khanate">Maimana Khanate</a>. </p><p>In 1751, Balkh was captured by <a href="/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" title="Ahmad Shah Durrani">Ahmad Shah Durrani</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Durrani_Empire" title="Durrani Empire">Durrani Empire</a>. </p><p>The area of Balkh was governed by the Uzbek Qataghan dynasty, with its capital in <a href="/wiki/Kholm,_Afghanistan" title="Kholm, Afghanistan">Khulm</a>, for the majority of the early nineteenth century, and only nominally acknowledged Kabul's suzerainty.<sup id="cite_ref-Pickett_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Pickett-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During this time, the Qataghan dynasty also competed with Bukhara in interdynastic conflicts throughout the area.<sup id="cite_ref-Pickett_39-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Pickett-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Only through the conquests of the <a href="/wiki/Emirate_of_Afghanistan" title="Emirate of Afghanistan">Emirate of Kabul</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Dost_Mohammad_Khan" title="Dost Mohammad Khan">Dost Mohammad Khan</a> in the 1850s (see also; <a href="/wiki/Afghan_Conquest_of_Balkh" title="Afghan Conquest of Balkh">Afghan Conquest of Balkh</a>), followed by those of <a href="/wiki/Abdur_Rahman_Khan" title="Abdur Rahman Khan">Abdur Rahman Khan</a> in 1888, did the region of "little Turkestan" to the south of the <a href="/wiki/Amu_Darya" title="Amu Darya">Amu Darya</a> (also known as Oxus River) become a permanent part of Afghanistan.<sup id="cite_ref-Pickett_39-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Pickett-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By 1885, <a href="/wiki/Sir_Charles_Yate,_1st_Baronet" title="Sir Charles Yate, 1st Baronet">Charles Yate</a> reported that the city was "nothing but a vast ruin" and that there were no more than 500 houses, occupied mostly by "Afghan settlers" and with "very few Usbegs" (i.e. Uzbeks).<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1866, after a <a href="/wiki/Malaria" title="Malaria">malaria</a> outbreak during the flood season, Balkh lost its administrative status to the neighbouring city of <a href="/wiki/Mazar-i-Sharif" title="Mazar-i-Sharif">Mazar-i-Sharif</a> (<i>Mazār-e Šarīf</i>), about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Balkh.<sup id="cite_ref-Iranica_43-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Iranica-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="20th_to_21st_centuries">20th to 21st centuries</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: 20th to 21st centuries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Balkh_street.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Balkh_street.jpg/220px-Balkh_street.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="155" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Balkh_street.jpg/330px-Balkh_street.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Balkh_street.jpg/440px-Balkh_street.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1533" data-file-height="1077" /></a><figcaption>A street in Balkh with several horse carts, c. 1970s</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1911 Balkh comprised a settlement of about 500 houses of Afghan settlers, a colony of <a href="/wiki/Jew" class="mw-redirect" title="Jew">Jews</a> and a small <a href="/wiki/Bazaar" title="Bazaar">bazaar</a> set in the midst of a waste of ruins and acres of debris. Entering by the west (<i>Akcha</i>) gate, one passed under three arches, in which the compilers recognized the remnants of the former <i><a href="/wiki/Jama_Masjid" class="mw-redirect" title="Jama Masjid">Jama Masjid</a></i> (<a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a>: <span lang="fa" dir="rtl"><span class="Nastaliq" dir="rtl" title="Nastaliq" style="font-family: 'Jameel Noori Nastaleeq', 'Urdu Typesetting', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu Draft', 'Hussaini Nastaleeq', 'AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq', IranNastaliq, 'Awami Nastaliq', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta3', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta2', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta1', 'Nafees Nastaleeq', 'Nafees Nastaleeq v1.01', 'Pak Nastaleeq', 'PDMS_Jauhar', 'Alvi Lahori Nastaleeq'; font-size: 110%; font-style: normal;">جَامع مَسجد</span></span>, <small><a href="/wiki/Romanization_of_Persian" title="Romanization of Persian">romanized</a>: </small><span title="Persian-language romanization"><i lang="fa-Latn">Jama‘ Masjid</i></span>, Friday Mosque).<sup id="cite_ref-UnescoBalkh_45-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UnescoBalkh-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The outer walls, mostly in utter disrepair, were estimated about 6.5–7 miles (10.5–11.3 km) in perimeter. In the south-east, they were set high on a mound or rampart, which indicated a <a href="/wiki/Mongol" class="mw-redirect" title="Mongol">Mongol</a> origin to the compilers. </p><p>The fort and citadel to the north-east were built well above the town on a barren mound and were walled and moated. There was, however, little left of them but the remains of a few pillars. The <a href="/wiki/Green_Mosque_(Balkh)" class="mw-redirect" title="Green Mosque (Balkh)">Green Mosque</a> (<a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a>: <span lang="fa" dir="rtl"><span class="Nastaliq" dir="rtl" title="Nastaliq" style="font-family: 'Jameel Noori Nastaleeq', 'Urdu Typesetting', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu Draft', 'Hussaini Nastaleeq', 'AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq', IranNastaliq, 'Awami Nastaliq', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta3', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta2', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta1', 'Nafees Nastaleeq', 'Nafees Nastaleeq v1.01', 'Pak Nastaleeq', 'PDMS_Jauhar', 'Alvi Lahori Nastaleeq'; font-size: 110%; font-style: normal;">مَسجد سَبز</span></span>, <small><a href="/wiki/Romanization_of_Persian" title="Romanization of Persian">romanized</a>: </small><span title="Persian-language romanization"><i lang="fa-Latn">Masjid Sabz</i></span>),<sup id="cite_ref-MM1_46-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MM1-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> named for its green-tiled dome (see photograph top right corner) and said to be the tomb of the <a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Abu_Nasr_Parsa" title="Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa">Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa</a>, had nothing but the arched entrance remaining of the former <i><a href="/wiki/Madrasa" title="Madrasa">madrasah</a></i> (<a href="/wiki/Arabic_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Arabic language">Arabic</a>: <span lang="ar" dir="rtl">مَـدْرَسَـة</span>, school). </p><p>The town was garrisoned as of 1911 by a few thousand irregulars (<i>kasidars</i>), the regular troops of <a href="/wiki/Afghan_Turkestan" title="Afghan Turkestan">Afghan Turkestan</a> being cantoned at <a href="/wiki/Takhtapul" class="mw-redirect" title="Takhtapul">Takhtapul</a>, near Mazari Sharif. The gardens to the north-east contained a <a href="/wiki/Caravanserai" title="Caravanserai">caravanserai</a> that formed one side of a courtyard, which was shaded by a group of chenar trees <i><a href="/wiki/Platanus" title="Platanus">Platanus orientalis</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A project of modernization was undertaken in 1934, in which eight streets were laid out, housing and bazaars built. Modern Balkh is a centre of the cotton industry, of the skins known commonly in the West as "Persian lamb" (<a href="/wiki/Karakul_(sheep)" class="mw-redirect" title="Karakul (sheep)">Karakul</a>), and for agricultural produce like almonds and melons. </p><p>The site and the museum have suffered from looting and uncontrolled digging during the <a href="/wiki/Afghan_Civil_War_(1992-1996)" class="mw-redirect" title="Afghan Civil War (1992-1996)">1990s civil war</a>. After the <a href="/wiki/Taliban" title="Taliban">Taliban</a>'s fall in 2001 some poor residents dug in an attempt to sell ancient treasures. The provisional Afghan government said in January 2002 that it had stopped the looting.<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On March 9, 2023, the Taliban appointed Governor of Balkh Mohammad Dawood Muzammil was killed in a bomb blast.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Archaeological_sites">Archaeological sites</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Archaeological sites"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Ancient_Buddhist">Ancient Buddhist</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Ancient Buddhist"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:BhalkCapital.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/BhalkCapital.jpg/220px-BhalkCapital.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="267" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/BhalkCapital.jpg/330px-BhalkCapital.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/BhalkCapital.jpg/440px-BhalkCapital.jpg 2x" data-file-width="761" data-file-height="923" /></a><figcaption>Remains of a <a href="/wiki/Hellenistic" class="mw-redirect" title="Hellenistic">Hellenistic</a> <a href="/wiki/Corinthian_order" title="Corinthian order">Corinthian capital</a> found in Balkh.</figcaption></figure> <p>The earlier <a href="/wiki/Buddhist" class="mw-redirect" title="Buddhist">Buddhist</a> constructions have proved more durable than the Islamic buildings. The Top-Rustam is 46 m (50 yd) in diameter at the base and 27 m (30 yd) at the top, circular and about 15 m (49 ft) high. Four circular vaults are sunk in the interior and four passages have been pierced below from the outside, which probably lead to them. The base of the building is constructed of <a href="/wiki/Mudbrick" title="Mudbrick">sun-dried bricks</a> about 60 cm (2.0 ft) square and 100 to 130 mm (3.9 to 5.1 in) thick. The Takht-e Rustam is wedge-shaped in plan with uneven sides. It is apparently built of <i><a href="/wiki/Pis%C3%A9" class="mw-redirect" title="Pisé">pisé</a></i> mud (i.e. mud mixed with straw and puddled). It is possible that in these ruins we may recognize the <i><a href="/wiki/Nava_Vihara" title="Nava Vihara">Nava Vihara</a></i> described by the Chinese traveller <a href="/wiki/Xuanzang" title="Xuanzang">Xuanzang</a>. There are the remains of many other topes (or <a href="/wiki/Stupa" title="Stupa">stupas</a>) in the neighbourhood.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The mounds of ruins on the road to Mazar-e Sharif probably represent the site of a city yet older than those on which stands the modern Balkh.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2014)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Medieval_Islamic">Medieval Islamic</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Medieval Islamic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Numerous places of interest are to be seen today aside from the ancient ruins and fortifications: </p> <ul><li>The <i><a href="/wiki/Madrasa" title="Madrasa">madrasa</a></i> of Sayed Subhan Quli Khan.</li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Bala-Hesar&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Bala-Hesar (page does not exist)">Bala-Hesar</a>, the shrine and mosque of Khwaja Nasr Parsa.</li> <li>The tomb of the poet <a href="/wiki/Rabi%27a_Balkhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Rabi'a Balkhi">Rabi'a Balkhi</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Haji_Piyada" title="Haji Piyada">The Nine Domes Mosque</a> (<i>Masjid-e Noh Gonbad</i>). This exquisitely ornamented mosque, also referred to as <i>Haji Piyada</i>, is the earliest Islamic monument yet identified in Afghanistan.</li> <li>Tepe Rustam and Takht-e Rustam</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Displays_at_the_Balkh_Museum">Displays at the Balkh Museum</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Displays at the Balkh Museum"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The museum was formerly the second largest museum in the country, but its collection has suffered from looting in recent times.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The museum is also known as the Museum of the Blue Mosque, from the building it shares with a religious library. As well as exhibits from the ancient ruins of Balkh, the collection includes works of <a href="/wiki/Islamic_art" title="Islamic art">Islamic art</a> including a 13th-century <a href="/wiki/Quran" title="Quran">Quran</a>, and examples of Afghan decorative and <a href="/wiki/Folk_art" title="Folk art">folk art</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notable_people">Notable people</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Notable people"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Balkh had a major role in the development of the <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian language</a> and <a href="/wiki/Persian_literature" title="Persian literature">literature</a>. The early works of Persian literature were written by poets and writers who were originally from Balkh. Many famous <a href="/wiki/List_of_Persian_poets_and_authors" class="mw-redirect" title="List of Persian poets and authors">Persian poets</a> came from Balkh. Furthermore, the city was a cultural centre for science and had notable scientists working in or originating from that region. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Poets">Poets</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Poets"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abu-Shakur_Balkhi" title="Abu-Shakur Balkhi">Abu-Shakur Balkhi</a> – 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poet.</li> <li>Abul Moayyad Balkhi<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – 10th-century Persian poet.<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>Abu Ali Balkhi<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – Author of a <i><a href="/wiki/Shahnameh" title="Shahnameh">Shah-nama</a></i>, according to <a href="/wiki/Al-Biruni" title="Al-Biruni">Biruni</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rabi%27a_Balkhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Rabi'a Balkhi">Rabi'a Balkhi</a> – 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poetess and the first woman poet in Persian literature.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Daqiqi" title="Daqiqi">Abu Mansur Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Daqiqi</a> – 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poet; Balkh is one of his suggested birthplaces.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ma%27ruf_Balkhi" title="Ma'ruf Balkhi">Ma'ruf Balkhi</a> – 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poet, one of the earliest to compose poems in <a href="/wiki/New_Persian" title="New Persian">New Persian</a>.</li> <li>Sani Balkhi – 10th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> <a href="/wiki/Ruba%CA%BFi" class="mw-redirect" title="Rubaʿi">Rubaʿi</a> poet.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unsuri" title="Unsuri">Unsuri Balkhi</a> – 10th/11th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poet at the court of the <a href="/wiki/Ghaznavids" title="Ghaznavids">Ghaznavids</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Manuchehri_Damghani" class="mw-redirect" title="Manuchehri Damghani">Manuchihri Damghani</a> – 11th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> royal poet at the Ghaznavid court, possibly born in Balkh according to <a href="/wiki/Dawlatshah_Samarqandi" title="Dawlatshah Samarqandi">Dawlat Shah Samarkandi</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rashid_al-Din_Vatvat" title="Rashid al-Din Vatvat">Rashid al-Din Vatvat</a> – 11th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> secretary, poet, and philologist.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anvari" title="Anvari">Anvari</a> – 12th-century Persian poet and scientist, regarded as one of the most significant figures in Persian literature; lived and died in Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jalal_ad-Din_Muhammad_Balkhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi">Mawlānā Jalal ad-Din Rūmī Balkhi</a> – 13th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> poet, one of the most famous and influential Persian writers, born in Balkh.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Amir_Khusro" class="mw-redirect" title="Amir Khusro">Amir Khusraw (Dehlavi)</a> – 13th-century Persian-writing poet of medieval India whose father, Amir Saifuddin, was from Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fasihuddin_Balkhi" title="Fasihuddin Balkhi">Fasihuddin Balkhi</a> – 20th-century Indian author and historian with ancestral ties to Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wasef_Bakhtari" title="Wasef Bakhtari">Wasef Bakhtari</a> – Contemporary Afghan poet, literary figure, and intellectual known for introducing <i><a href="/wiki/She%27r-e_Nimaa%27i" title="She'r-e Nimaa'i">she’r-e nimaa'i</a></i> ("Nimaic poetry") to Afghan-Persian literature; born in Balkh.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Scientists">Scientists</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Scientists"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abu_Ma%27shar_al-Balkhi" title="Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi">Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi</a> – 8th-century <a href="/wiki/Persian_language" title="Persian language">Persian</a> astrologer, astronomer, and philosopher, considered a major astrologer of the <a href="/wiki/Abbasid" class="mw-redirect" title="Abbasid">Abbasid</a> court in Baghdad.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abu_Zayd_al-Balkhi" title="Abu Zayd al-Balkhi">Abu Zayd al-Balkhi</a> – 9th-century Persian polymath: geographer, mathematician, physician, and psychologist; pioneer in mental health concepts.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Avicenna" title="Avicenna">Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah ibn Sina al-Balkhi al-Bukhari</a> or Avicenna – 10th/11th-century philosopher and scientist, regarded as the father of early modern medicine; his father, Abdullah, was from Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ali_ibn_Yusuf_al-Ilaqi" class="mw-redirect" title="Ali ibn Yusuf al-Ilaqi">Ali ibn Yusuf al-Ilaqi</a> – 11th-century Persian physician and student of Avicenna, practiced in Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Al-Isfizari" title="Al-Isfizari">Al-Isfizari</a> – 12th-century Khorasani mathematician who worked in Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ibn_Balkhi" class="mw-redirect" title="Ibn Balkhi">Ibn Balkhi</a> – 12th-century Iranian historian and author of <i>Fārs-Nāma</i>.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Heads_of_state">Heads of state</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Heads of state"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Diodotus_I" title="Diodotus I">Diodotus I</a> – Greek king who ruled in Balkh in the 3rd century BC.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vishtaspa" title="Vishtaspa">Vishtaspa</a> – Ancient king of Balkh and early supporter of <a href="/wiki/Zoroaster" title="Zoroaster">Zoroaster</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khalid_ibn_Barmak" title="Khalid ibn Barmak">Khalid ibn Barmak</a> – 8th-century wazir of the <a href="/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate" title="Abbasid Caliphate">Abbasid Caliphate</a> and member of the prominent <a href="/wiki/Barmakid" class="mw-redirect" title="Barmakid">Barmakid</a> family.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saman_Khuda" title="Saman Khuda">Saman Khuda</a> – Founder of the <a href="/wiki/Samanid_Empire" title="Samanid Empire">Samanid dynasty</a>, born near Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sabuktigin" title="Sabuktigin">Sabuktigin</a> – Founder of the <a href="/wiki/Ghaznavid_dynasty" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghaznavid dynasty">Ghaznavid dynasty</a>, who died in Balkh.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timur" title="Timur">Timur</a> – 14th-century conqueror who founded the <a href="/wiki/Timurid_Empire" title="Timurid Empire">Timurid Empire</a>; crowned in Balkh.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Religious_figures">Religious figures</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Religious figures"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Zoroaster" title="Zoroaster">Zoroaster</a> ancient prophet traditionally associated with Balkh by some scholars<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muqatil_ibn_Sulayman" title="Muqatil ibn Sulayman">Muqatil ibn Sulayman Al-Balkhi</a>, 8th-century story teller of the <a href="/wiki/Quran" title="Quran">Quran</a>, wrote one of the earliest, if not first, commentaries (tafsir) of the Qur'an</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ibrahim_ibn_Adham" title="Ibrahim ibn Adham">Ibrahim ibn Adham Balkhi</a>, 8th century <a href="/wiki/Sufi" class="mw-redirect" title="Sufi">Sufi</a> <a href="/wiki/Saint" title="Saint">saint</a> and reputedly ruler of Balkh, one of the most prominent of the early <a href="/wiki/Ascetic" class="mw-redirect" title="Ascetic">ascetic</a> <a href="/wiki/Sufi" class="mw-redirect" title="Sufi">Sufi</a> <a href="/wiki/Saint" title="Saint">saints</a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hiwi_al-Balkhi" title="Hiwi al-Balkhi">Hiwi al-Balkhi</a>, 9th century <a href="/wiki/Bukharan_Jew" class="mw-redirect" title="Bukharan Jew">Bukharan Jewish</a> <a href="/wiki/Exegete" class="mw-redirect" title="Exegete">exegete</a> and <a href="/wiki/Biblical_critic" class="mw-redirect" title="Biblical critic">Biblical critic</a></li> <li>Abu l-Jaysh al-Balkhi<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> 10th century <a href="/wiki/Twelver_Shi%27ism" title="Twelver Shi'ism">Twelver Shiite</a> theologian and <a href="/wiki/Muhaddith" title="Muhaddith">Muhaddith</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahid_Balkhi" title="Shahid Balkhi">Shahid Balkhi</a> 10th century <a href="/wiki/Persians" title="Persians">Persian</a> <a href="/wiki/Theologian" class="mw-redirect" title="Theologian">theologian</a>, <a href="/wiki/Iranian_philosophy" title="Iranian philosophy">philosopher</a>, <a href="/wiki/Persian_literature" title="Persian literature">poet</a> and <a href="/wiki/Sufi" class="mw-redirect" title="Sufi">sufi</a></li> <li>Abdullah, father of <a href="/wiki/Avicenna" title="Avicenna">Avicenna</a> and respected <a href="/wiki/Ismaili" class="mw-redirect" title="Ismaili">Ismaili</a> scholar<sup id="cite_ref-Corbin1993_61-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Corbin1993-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Muhammad_ibn_Husayn_al_Khatibi_al_Balkhi&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Muhammad ibn Husayn al Khatibi al Balkhi (page does not exist)">Muhammad ibn Husayn al Khatibi al Balkhi</a><sup class="noprint" style="font-style: normal;"> [<a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B0_%D0%B0%D0%B4-%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%BD_%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4" class="extiw" title="ru:Баха ад-Дин Валад">ru</a>]</sup> also known as Baha al-Din Walad, father of <a href="/wiki/Rumi" title="Rumi">Rumi (Balkhi)</a> and respected theologian, jurist and <a href="/wiki/Mysticism" title="Mysticism">mystic</a> from Balkh</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sultan_Balkhi" title="Sultan Balkhi">Sultan Balkhi</a>, a 16th-century Muslim saint, associated with the spread of Islam in <a href="/wiki/Bengal" title="Bengal">Bengal</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1184024115">.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}</style><div class="div-col" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Nava_Vihara" title="Nava Vihara">Nava Vihara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kumargah" title="Kumargah">Kumargah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mount_Imeon" title="Mount Imeon">Mount Imeon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Buddhism" title="Silk Road transmission of Buddhism">Silk Road transmission of Buddhism</a></li></ul></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="'b' in 'buy'">b</span><span title="/æ/: 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="/x/: 'ch' in 'loch'">x</span></span>,<span class="wrap"> </span><span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="'b' in 'buy'">b</span><span title="/æ/: 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span></span>/</a></span></span>; <a href="/wiki/Pashto" title="Pashto">Pashto</a> and <a href="/wiki/Dari_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Dari language">Dari</a>: <span lang="prs" dir="rtl"><span class="Nastaliq" dir="rtl" title="Nastaliq" style="font-family: 'Jameel Noori Nastaleeq', 'Urdu Typesetting', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu', 'Noto Nastaliq Urdu Draft', 'Hussaini Nastaleeq', 'AlQalam Taj Nastaleeq', IranNastaliq, 'Awami Nastaliq', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta3', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta2', 'Awami Nastaliq Beta1', 'Nafees Nastaleeq', 'Nafees Nastaleeq v1.01', 'Pak Nastaleeq', 'PDMS_Jauhar', 'Alvi Lahori Nastaleeq'; font-size: 110%; font-style: normal;">بلخ</span></span>; <a href="/wiki/Bactrian_language" title="Bactrian language">Bactrian</a>: <span lang="xbc">Βάχλο</span>, <small>romanized: </small><span title="Bactrian-language romanization"><i lang="xbc-Latn">Bákhlo</i></span>; <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greek_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Ancient Greek language">Ancient Greek</a>: <span lang="grc">Βάκτρα</span>, <small><a href="/wiki/Romanization_of_Ancient_Greek" class="mw-redirect" title="Romanization of Ancient Greek">romanized</a>: </small><span title="Ancient Greek-language romanization"><i lang="grc-Latn">Báctra</i></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width reflist-columns-2"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-nsia-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-nsia_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-nsia_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf">"Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). April 2021. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204559/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on 24 June 2021<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">21 June</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Estimated+Population+of+Afghanistan+2021-22&rft.pub=National+Statistic+and+Information+Authority+%28NSIA%29&rft.date=2021-04&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsia.gov.af%3A8080%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F06%2FEstimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NSIA-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-NSIA_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200703171906/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%86%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%DB%B1%DB%B3%DB%B9%DB%B9-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AE%DB%80-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84.pdf">"Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2020-21"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA)</i>. www.nsia.gov.af. p. 31. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%86%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%DB%B1%DB%B3%DB%B9%DB%B9-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AE%DB%80-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 3 July 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">24 March</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=National+Statistics+and+Information+Authority+%28NSIA%29&rft.atitle=Estimated+Population+of+Afghanistan+2020-21&rft.pages=31&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsia.gov.af%3A8080%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2F%25D8%25A8%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A2%25D9%2588%25D8%25B1%25D8%25AF-%25D9%2586%25D9%2581%25D9%2588%25D8%25B3-%25DA%25A9%25D8%25B4%25D9%2588%25D8%25B1-%25DB%25B1%25DB%25B3%25DB%25B9%25DB%25B9-%25D9%2586%25D8%25B3%25D8%25AE%25DB%2580-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2588%25D9%2584.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/afghanistan-population/">"Afghanistan Population (2024) - Worldometer"</a>. <i>www.worldometers.info</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 February</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.worldometers.info&rft.atitle=Afghanistan+Population+%282024%29+-+Worldometer&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldometers.info%2Fworld-population%2Fafghanistan-population%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/cities/afghanistan">"Population of Cities in Afghanistan 2024"</a>. <i>worldpopulationreview.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">10 February</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=worldpopulationreview.com&rft.atitle=Population+of+Cities+in+Afghanistan+2024&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fworldpopulationreview.com%2Fcountries%2Fcities%2Fafghanistan&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://topostext.org/work/241#Z294.15">"Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, Z294.15"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20191221053054/https://topostext.org/work/241#Z294.15">Archived</a> from the original on 21 December 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 September</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Stephanus+of+Byzantium%2C+Ethnica%2C+Z294.15&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ftopostext.org%2Fwork%2F241%23Z294.15&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1928/">"City of Balkh (antique Bactria)"</a>. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200623080659/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1928/">Archived</a> from the original on 23 June 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">26 December</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=City+of+Balkh+%28antique+Bactria%29&rft.pub=UNESCO+World+Heritage+Centre&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwhc.unesco.org%2Fen%2Ftentativelists%2F1928%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-nsia2-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-nsia2_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151019073723/http://eafghanag.ucdavis.edu/country-info/Province-agriculture-profiles/balkh/Balkh.pdf">"Provincial Profile - Balkh"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Regional Rural Economic Regeneration Strategies (RRERS). Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://eafghanag.ucdavis.edu/country-info/Province-agriculture-profiles/balkh/Balkh.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 19 October 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">13 July</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Provincial+Profile+-+Balkh&rft.pub=Regional+Rural+Economic+Regeneration+Strategies+%28RRERS%29&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Feafghanag.ucdavis.edu%2Fcountry-info%2FProvince-agriculture-profiles%2Fbalkh%2FBalkh.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-nps-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-nps_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120529232454/http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/Balkh/Balkh.html">"Balkh Province"</a>. <i>Program for Culture & Conflict Studies</i>. <a href="/wiki/Naval_Postgraduate_School" title="Naval Postgraduate School">Naval Postgraduate School</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/Balkh/Balkh.html">the original</a> on 29 May 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">13 July</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Program+for+Culture+%26+Conflict+Studies&rft.atitle=Balkh+Province&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nps.edu%2FPrograms%2FCCS%2FBalkh%2FBalkh.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tajikistan/Cultural-life#ref214553">[1]</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201021112841/https://www.britannica.com/place/Tajikistan/Cultural-life#ref214553">Archived</a> 21 October 2020 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> <i>Britannica Online Encyclopedia</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130905125716/http://www.foodsecurityatlas.org/afg/country/provincial-Profile/Balkh">"Balkh — Afghanistan"</a>. 5 September 2013. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.foodsecurityatlas.org/afg/country/provincial-Profile/Balkh">the original</a> on 5 September 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">13 July</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Balkh+%E2%80%94+Afghanistan&rft.date=2013-09-05&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foodsecurityatlas.org%2Fafg%2Fcountry%2Fprovincial-Profile%2FBalkh&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">David-Néel, A. <i><a href="/wiki/Les_Nouvelles_litt%C3%A9raires" title="Les Nouvelles littéraires">Les Nouvelles littéraires</a></i>;1954, p.1</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBennett" class="citation cs2">Bennett, J. G., <i>Gurdjieff: Making a New World</i></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Gurdjieff%3A+Making+a+New+World&rft.aulast=Bennett&rft.aufirst=J.+G.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span> Bennett notes <a href="/wiki/Idries_Shah" title="Idries Shah">Idries Shah</a> as the source of the suggestion.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTavernier2007" class="citation book cs1">Tavernier, Jan (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=kQ6zTASmo6kC&pg=PA25"><i>Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Lexicon of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts</i></a>. Peeters. p. 25. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1833-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1833-7"><bdi>978-90-429-1833-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Iranica+in+the+Achaemenid+Period+%28ca.+550%E2%80%93330+B.C.%29%3A+Lexicon+of+Old+Iranian+Proper+Names+and+Loanwords%2C+Attested+in+Non-Iranian+Texts&rft.pages=25&rft.pub=Peeters&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-90-429-1833-7&rft.aulast=Tavernier&rft.aufirst=Jan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DkQ6zTASmo6kC%26pg%3DPA25&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDaniel_Coit_GilmanHarry_Thurston_PeckFrank_Moore_Colby1902" class="citation cs2">Daniel Coit Gilman; Harry Thurston Peck; Frank Moore Colby (1902), <i>The New International Encyclopædia</i>, vol. 2, <a href="/wiki/Dodd,_Mead_%26_Co." title="Dodd, Mead & Co.">Dodd, Mead & Co.</a>, p. 341</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+New+International+Encyclop%C3%A6dia&rft.pages=341&rft.pub=Dodd%2C+Mead+%26+Co.&rft.date=1902&rft.au=Daniel+Coit+Gilman&rft.au=Harry+Thurston+Peck&rft.au=Frank+Moore+Colby&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Tarn-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Tarn_16-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Tarn_16-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Greeks in Bactria and India</i>. William Woodthorpe Tarn. 1st Edition, 1938; 2nd Updated Edition, 1951. 3rd Edition, updated with a Preface and a new bibliography by Frank Lee Holt. Ares Publishers, Inc., Chicago. 1984. (1984), pp. 114–115 and n. 1.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTavernier2007" class="citation cs2">Tavernier, Jan (2007), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=kQ6zTASmo6kC&pg=PA370"><i>Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Linguistic Study of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts</i></a>, Peeters, p. 370, <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1833-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1833-7"><bdi>978-90-429-1833-7</bdi></a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Iranica+in+the+Achaemenid+Period+%28ca.+550%E2%80%93330+B.C.%29%3A+Linguistic+Study+of+Old+Iranian+Proper+Names+and+Loanwords%2C+Attested+in+Non-Iranian+Texts&rft.pages=370&rft.pub=Peeters&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-90-429-1833-7&rft.aulast=Tavernier&rft.aufirst=Jan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DkQ6zTASmo6kC%26pg%3DPA370&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/balkh">"Balkh | Silk Roads Programme"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190422105731/https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/balkh">Archived</a> from the original on 22 April 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">15 May</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Balkh+%26%23124%3B+Silk+Roads+Programme&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fen.unesco.org%2Fsilkroad%2Fcontent%2Fbalkh&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Nancy Hatch Dupree, <i>An Historical Guide to Afghanistan</i>, 1977, Kabul, Afghanistan</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Lhuillier-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Lhuillier_20-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Lhuillier_20-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Lhuillier, Johanna, Julio Bendezu-Sarmiento, & Philippe Marquis, (2021). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.austriaca.at/?arp=0x003d19bc">"Ancient Bactra: New Data on the Iron Age Occupation of the Bactra Oasis" </a>, in <i>Archaeology of Central Asia during the 1st millennium BC, from the beginning of the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period: Proceedings from the Workshop held at 10th ICAANE</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Young, Rodney S., (1955). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/500794">"The South Wall of Balkh-Bactra"</a>, in American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 59, No. 4, (Oct., 1955), The University of Chicago Press, p. 267.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-vi1-earliest-evidence">"IRAN vi. IRANIAN LANGUAGES AND SCRIPTS (1) E – Encyclopaedia Iranica"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150613070855/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-vi1-earliest-evidence">Archived</a> from the original on 13 June 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 June</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=IRAN+vi.+IRANIAN+LANGUAGES+AND+SCRIPTS+%281%29+E+%E2%80%93+Encyclopaedia+Iranica&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranicaonline.org%2Farticles%2Firan-vi1-earliest-evidence&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-lynne-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-lynne_23-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLynne_O'Donnell2013" class="citation news cs1">Lynne O'Donnell (20 October 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24581093">"Silk Road jewel reveals more of its treasures"</a>. <i>BBC News Magazine</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131020002942/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24581093">Archived</a> from the original on 20 October 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 October</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BBC+News+Magazine&rft.atitle=Silk+Road+jewel+reveals+more+of+its+treasures&rft.date=2013-10-20&rft.au=Lynne+O%27Donnell&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fmagazine-24581093&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAzad2013" class="citation book cs1">Azad, A. (2013). <i>Sacred Landscape in Medieval Afghanistan: Revisiting the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh</i>. OUP.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sacred+Landscape+in+Medieval+Afghanistan%3A+Revisiting+the+Fa%E1%B8%8D%C4%81%CA%BEil-i+Balkh&rft.pub=OUP&rft.date=2013&rft.aulast=Azad&rft.aufirst=A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Buddhism in Central Asia</i> by <a href="/wiki/Baij_Nath_Puri" title="Baij Nath Puri">Baij Nath Puri</a>, Motilal Banarsi Dass Publishers, Page 130</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFvan_Bladel2011" class="citation book cs1">van Bladel, Kevin (2011). "The Bactrian Background of the Barmakids". In A. Akasoy, C. Burnett and R. Yoeli-Tlalim (ed.). <i>Islam and Tibet: Interactions along the Musk Routes</i>. London: Ashgate. pp. 43–88.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=The+Bactrian+Background+of+the+Barmakids&rft.btitle=Islam+and+Tibet%3A+Interactions+along+the+Musk+Routes&rft.place=London&rft.pages=43-88&rft.pub=Ashgate&rft.date=2011&rft.aulast=van+Bladel&rft.aufirst=Kevin&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Hārūn al-Rashīd and the narrative of the ʻAbbāsid caliphate by Tayeb El-Hibri published by Cambridge University Press, 1999 Page 8 <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-65023-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-65023-2">0-521-65023-2</a>, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-65023-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-521-65023-6">978-0-521-65023-6</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">India, the Ancient Past: a history of the Indian sub-continent from c. 7000 BC to AD 1200 by Burjor Avari Edition: illustrated Published by Taylor & Francis. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-415-35616-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-415-35616-4">0-415-35616-4</a>, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-35616-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-415-35616-9">978-0-415-35616-9</a> Page 220.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBen_Zion_Yehoshua-Raz2010" class="citation book cs1"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Ben Zion Yehoshua-Raz</a> (2010). Stillman, Norman (ed.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/balkh-SIM_0003060?s.num=21&s.rows=50&s.start=10#d17527332e82"><i>Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World</i></a>. Brill Publishing. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171201062944/http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/balkh-SIM_0003060?s.num=21&s.rows=50&s.start=10#d17527332e82">Archived</a> from the original on 1 December 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. p. 58. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1136873669" title="Special:BookSources/978-1136873669"><bdi>978-1136873669</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Tamerlane+and+the+Jews&rft.place=Hoboken&rft.pages=58&rft.pub=Taylor+and+Francis&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=978-1136873669&rft.aulast=Shterenshis&rft.aufirst=Michael&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFYate1888" class="citation book cs1">Yate, Major Charles Edward (1888). <i>Northern Afghanistan, or, Letters from the Afghan Boundary Commission</i>. 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Princeton University Press. pp. 13–14. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0691612072" title="Special:BookSources/978-0691612072"><bdi>978-0691612072</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=An+Historical+Geography+of+Iran&rft.pages=13-14&rft.pub=Princeton+University+Press&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=978-0691612072&rft.aulast=Vladimirovich+Barthold&rft.aufirst=Vasilii&rft.au=Soucek%2C+Sivat&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKumar" class="citation web cs1">Kumar, Ramesh. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ikashmir.net/rktamiri/barmarks.html">"The Rise Of Barmarks"</a>. Kashmir News Network. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111001054042/http://ikashmir.net/rktamiri/barmarks.html">Archived</a> from the original on 1 October 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 128. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-88706-569-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-88706-569-9"><bdi>978-0-88706-569-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+History+of+al-%E1%B9%ACabar%C4%AB%2C+Volume+XXV%3A+The+End+of+Expansion%3A+The+Caliphate+of+Hish%C4%81m%2C+A.D.+724%E2%80%93738%2FA.H.+105%E2%80%93120&rft.place=Albany%2C+New+York&rft.series=SUNY+Series+in+Near+Eastern+Studies.&rft.pages=128&rft.pub=State+University+of+New+York+Press&rft.date=1989&rft.isbn=978-0-88706-569-9&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DMzz3raVuGg0C&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Arezou Azad: "Islam's forgotten scholars", <i>History Today</i>, Vol. 66, No. 10 (October 2016), p. 27.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGibb1971" class="citation book cs1">Gibb, H.A.R. (1971). <i>The Travels of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, A.D. 1325–1354 (Volume 3)</i>. London: Hakluyt Society. p. 571.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Travels+of+Ibn+Ba%E1%B9%AD%E1%B9%AD%C5%AB%E1%B9%ADa%2C+A.D.+1325%E2%80%931354+%28Volume+3%29&rft.place=London&rft.pages=571&rft.pub=Hakluyt+Society&rft.date=1971&rft.aulast=Gibb&rft.aufirst=H.A.R.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Pickett-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Pickett_39-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Pickett_39-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Pickett_39-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Pickett, J. (2023, June 21). Central Asia between Empires: New Research on the 18th and 19th Centuries. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">24 March</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Afghanistan+to+start+restoration+of+Rumi%27s+birthplace&rft.date=2021-03-23&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trtworld.com%2Fmagazine%2Fafghanistan-to-start-restoration-of-rumi-s-birthplace-45226&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://mevlana-rumi-quotes.blogspot.com/2014/03/maulana-jalal-ud-din-muhammad-rumi.html">"Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Rumi Balkhi Biography - Mevlana Celaludin Rumi Biografisi"</a>. 28 March 2014. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200616194911/https://mevlana-rumi-quotes.blogspot.com/2014/03/maulana-jalal-ud-din-muhammad-rumi.html">Archived</a> from the original on 16 June 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">16 June</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Maulana+Jalal-ud-Din+Muhammad+Rumi+Balkhi+Biography+-+Mevlana+Celaludin+Rumi+Biografisi&rft.date=2014-03-28&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fmevlana-rumi-quotes.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fmaulana-jalal-ud-din-muhammad-rumi.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFYoung1955" class="citation journal cs1">Young, Rodney S. (1 October 1955). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.2307/500794">"The South Wall of Balkh-Bactra"</a>. <i>American Journal of Archaeology</i>. <b>59</b> (4): 267–276. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F500794">10.2307/500794</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0002-9114">0002-9114</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/500794">500794</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Archaeology&rft.atitle=The+South+Wall+of+Balkh-Bactra&rft.volume=59&rft.issue=4&rft.pages=267-276&rft.date=1955-10-01&rft.issn=0002-9114&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F500794%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F500794&rft.aulast=Young&rft.aufirst=Rodney+S.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.journals.uchicago.edu%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.2307%2F500794&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://en.wikishia.net/view/Abu_l-Jaysh_al-Balkhi">"Abu l-Jaysh al-Balkhi - wikishia"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Abu+l-Jaysh+al-Balkhi+-+wikishia&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikishia.net%2Fview%2FAbu_l-Jaysh_al-Balkhi&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Corbin1993-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Corbin1993_61-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCorbin1993" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Henry_Corbin" title="Henry Corbin">Corbin, Henry</a> (1993) [First published French 1964)]. <i>History of Islamic Philosophy, Translated by Liadain Sherrard, Philip Sherrard</i>. London; Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies. pp. 167–175. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7103-0416-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-7103-0416-1"><bdi>0-7103-0416-1</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/22109949">22109949</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=History+of+Islamic+Philosophy%2C+Translated+by+Liadain+Sherrard%2C+Philip+Sherrard&rft.pages=167-175&rft.pub=London%3B+Kegan+Paul+International+in+association+with+Islamic+Publications+for+The+Institute+of+Ismaili+Studies&rft.date=1993&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F22109949&rft.isbn=0-7103-0416-1&rft.aulast=Corbin&rft.aufirst=Henry&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-62">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAdamson2016" class="citation book cs1">Adamson, Peter (2016). <i>Philosophy in the Islamic World: A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps</i>. Oxford University Press. p. 113. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0199577491" title="Special:BookSources/978-0199577491"><bdi>978-0199577491</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Philosophy+in+the+Islamic+World%3A+A+History+of+Philosophy+Without+Any+Gaps&rft.pages=113&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2016&rft.isbn=978-0199577491&rft.aulast=Adamson&rft.aufirst=Peter&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt>Published in the 19th century</dt></dl> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEdward_Balfour1885" class="citation cs2"><a href="/wiki/Edward_Balfour" title="Edward Balfour">Edward Balfour</a> (1885), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/cyclopaediaofind01balfuoft#page/248/mode/2up">"Balkh"</a>, <i>Cyclopaedia of India</i> (3rd ed.), London: B. Quaritch</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Balkh&rft.btitle=Cyclopaedia+of+India&rft.place=London&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=B.+Quaritch&rft.date=1885&rft.au=Edward+Balfour&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fstream%2Fcyclopaediaofind01balfuoft%23page%2F248%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <dl><dt>Published in the 21st century</dt></dl> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1">"Balkh". <i>Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture</i>. Oxford University Press. 2009.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Balkh&rft.btitle=Grove+Encyclopedia+of+Islamic+Art+%26+Architecture&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2009&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAzad2013" class="citation book cs1">Azad, Arezou (November 2013). <i>Sacred Landscape in Medieval Afghanistan: Revisiting the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh</i>. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-968705-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-968705-3"><bdi>978-0-19-968705-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sacred+Landscape+in+Medieval+Afghanistan%3A+Revisiting+the+Fa%E1%B8%8D%C4%81%CA%BEil-i+Balkh&rft.place=Oxford%2C+UK&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2013-11&rft.isbn=978-0-19-968705-3&rft.aulast=Azad&rft.aufirst=Arezou&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Balkh&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/60px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/80px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="193" data-file-height="193" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikivoyage has a travel guide for <i><b><a href="https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Balkh#Q182159" class="extiw" title="wikivoyage:Balkh">Balkh</a></b></i>.</div></div> </div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1235681985"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237033735"><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/45px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/59px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Balkh" class="extiw" title="commons:Category:Balkh">Balkh</a></span>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.balkhheritage.org">The Balkh Art and Cultural Heritage Project</a> housed at the <a href="/wiki/Oriental_Institute,_Oxford" class="mw-redirect" title="Oriental Institute, Oxford">Oriental Institute</a> at the <a href="/wiki/University_of_Oxford" title="University of Oxford">University of Oxford</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mazar-i-sharif.de">Mazar-i-Sharif (Balkh)</a> <span class="languageicon">(in German)</span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110817054329/http://ghn.globalheritagefund.org/?id=16">Explore Balkh with Google Earth</a> on <a href="/wiki/Global_Heritage_Network" class="mw-redirect" title="Global Heritage Network">Global Heritage Network</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html">Indigenous Indian civilization prevailed in Balkh, Afghanistan till the second half of tenth century AD</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100920034518/http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html">Archived</a> 2010-09-20 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130615060946/http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=1">"Balkh"</a>. <i>Islamic Cultural Heritage Database</i>. Istanbul: Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=1">the original</a> on 15 June 2013.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Islamic+Cultural+Heritage+Database&rft.atitle=Balkh&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org%2Fircica%2Findex2.php%3Fpage%3DCountry%26id%3D1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFArchNet.org" class="citation web cs1">ArchNet.org. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110926185621/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6769">"Balkh"</a>. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6769">the original</a> on 26 September 2011.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Balkh&rft.place=Cambridge%2C+Massachusetts%2C+USA&rft.pub=MIT+School+of+Architecture+and+Planning&rft.au=ArchNet.org&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Farchnet.org%2Flibrary%2Fplaces%2Fone-place.jsp%3Fplace_id%3D6769&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABalkh" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline 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.navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Balkh_Province" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="3"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Balkh_Province" title="Template:Balkh Province"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Balkh_Province" title="Template talk:Balkh Province"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Balkh_Province" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Balkh Province"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Balkh_Province" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Balkh_Province" title="Balkh Province">Balkh Province</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="3"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Capital_city" title="Capital city">Capital</a></b>: <a class="mw-selflink selflink">Balkh</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Districts of Afghanistan">Districts</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkh_District" title="Balkh District">Balkh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charbolak_District" title="Charbolak District">Charbolak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charkint_District" title="Charkint District">Charkint</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chimtal_District" title="Chimtal District">Chimtal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawlatabad_District" title="Dawlatabad District">Dawlatabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dihdadi_District" title="Dihdadi District">Dihdadi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kaldar_District" title="Kaldar District">Kaldar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khulm_District" title="Khulm District">Khulm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kishindih_District" title="Kishindih District">Kishindih</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marmul_District" title="Marmul District">Marmul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mazar-e_Sharif_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Mazar-e Sharif District">Mazar-e Sharif</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nahri_Shahi_District" title="Nahri Shahi District">Nahri Shahi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sholgara_District" title="Sholgara District">Sholgara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shortepa_District" title="Shortepa District">Shortepa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zari_District" title="Zari District">Zari</a></li></ul> </div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="3" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg/100px-Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="74" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg/150px-Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg/200px-Balkh_in_Afghanistan.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1807" data-file-height="1331" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Landforms</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkh_River" title="Balkh River">Balkh River</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khulm_River" title="Khulm River">Khulm River</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Koh_e_Alburz_(Balkh)" title="Koh e Alburz (Balkh)">Koh e Alburz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kumargah" title="Kumargah">Kumargah</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Landmarks and culture</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkh_University" title="Balkh University">Balkh University</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Noble_Shrine" class="mw-redirect" title="Noble Shrine">Noble Shrine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Camp_Marmal" title="Camp Marmal">Camp Marmal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Green_Mosque,_Balkh" title="Green Mosque, Balkh">Green Mosque</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mazar-e_Sharif_International_Airport" class="mw-redirect" title="Mazar-e Sharif International Airport">Mazar-e Sharif International Airport</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mazar_Hotel" title="Mazar Hotel">Mazar Hotel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qala-i-Jangi" title="Qala-i-Jangi">Qala-i-Jangi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Simorgh_Alborz_F.C." class="mw-redirect" title="Simorgh Alborz F.C.">Simorgh Alborz F.C.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zadian_Minaret" title="Zadian Minaret">Zadian Minaret</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Districts_of_Afghanistan_by_province" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Template:Districts of Afghanistan"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Template talk:Districts of Afghanistan"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Districts of Afghanistan"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Districts_of_Afghanistan_by_province" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Districts_of_Afghanistan" title="Districts of Afghanistan">Districts of Afghanistan</a> by <a href="/wiki/Provinces_of_Afghanistan" title="Provinces of Afghanistan">province</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:transparent;color:inherit;"><div style="padding:0px"><table class="navbox-columns-table" style="border-spacing: 0px; text-align:left;width:100%;"><tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"><td class="navbox-list" style="padding:0px;width:10em;"><div> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Badakhshan_Province" title="Badakhshan Province">Badakhshan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Arghanj_Khwa_District" title="Arghanj Khwa District">Arghanj Khwa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Argo_District" title="Argo District">Argo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baharak_District,_Badakhshan" title="Baharak District, Badakhshan">Baharak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darayim_District" title="Darayim District">Darayim</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maimay_District" title="Maimay District">Maimay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nusay_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Nusay District">Nusay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fayzabad_District,_Badakhshan" title="Fayzabad District, Badakhshan">Fayzabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ishkashim_District" title="Ishkashim District">Ishkashim</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jurm_District" title="Jurm District">Jurm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khash_District" title="Khash District">Khash</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwahan_District" title="Khwahan District">Khwahan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kishim_District" title="Kishim District">Kishim</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kohistan_District,_Badakhshan" title="Kohistan District, Badakhshan">Kohistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuf_Ab_District" title="Kuf Ab District">Kuf Ab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuran_Wa_Munjan_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Kuran Wa Munjan District">Kuran Wa Munjan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Raghistan_District" title="Raghistan District">Raghistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahri_Buzurg_District" title="Shahri Buzurg District">Shahri Buzurg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shighnan_District" title="Shighnan District">Shighnan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shekiay_District,_Afghanistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Shekiay District, Afghanistan">Shekay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shuhada_District" title="Shuhada District">Shuhada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tagab_District,_Badakhshan" title="Tagab District, Badakhshan">Tagab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tishkan_District" title="Tishkan District">Tishkan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wakhan_District" title="Wakhan District">Wakhan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wurduj_District" title="Wurduj District">Wurduj</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yaftali_Sufla_District" title="Yaftali Sufla District">Yaftali Sufla</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yamgan_District" title="Yamgan District">Yamgan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yawan_District" title="Yawan District">Yawan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zebak_District" title="Zebak District">Zebak</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Badghis_Province" title="Badghis Province">Badghis</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ab_Kamari_District" title="Ab Kamari District">Ab Kamari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jawand_District" title="Jawand District">Jawand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muqur_District,_Badghis" title="Muqur District, Badghis">Muqur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bala_Murghab_District" title="Bala Murghab District">Bala Murghab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qadis_District" title="Qadis District">Qadis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qala_i_Naw_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Qala i Naw District">Qala i Naw</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Baghlan_Province" title="Baghlan Province">Baghlan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Andarab_District" title="Andarab District">Andarab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baghlan_District" title="Baghlan District">Baghlan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baghlani_Jadid_District" title="Baghlani Jadid District">Baghlani Jadid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Burka_District" title="Burka District">Burka</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dahana_i_Ghuri_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Dahana i Ghuri District">Dahana i Ghuri</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dih_Salah_District" title="Dih Salah District">Dih Salah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dushi_District" title="Dushi District">Dushi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farang_Wa_Gharu_District" title="Farang Wa Gharu District">Farang Wa Gharu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guzargahi_Nur_District" title="Guzargahi Nur District">Guzargahi Nur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khinjan_District" title="Khinjan District">Khinjan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khost_Wa_Fereng_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Khost Wa Fereng District">Khost Wa Fereng</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Hijran_District" title="Khwaja Hijran District">Khwaja Hijran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nahrin_District" title="Nahrin District">Nahrin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Puli_Hisar_District" title="Puli Hisar District">Puli Hisar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Puli_Khumri_District" title="Puli Khumri District">Puli Khumri</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tala_Wa_Barfak_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Tala Wa Barfak District">Tala Wa Barfak</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Balkh_Province" title="Balkh Province">Balkh</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Balkh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charbolak_District" title="Charbolak District">Charbolak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charkint_District" title="Charkint District">Charkint</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chimtal_District" title="Chimtal District">Chimtal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawlatabad_District" title="Dawlatabad District">Dawlatabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dihdadi_District" title="Dihdadi District">Dihdadi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kaldar_District" title="Kaldar District">Kaldar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kholm_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Kholm District">Kholm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kishindih_District" title="Kishindih District">Kishindih</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marmul_District" title="Marmul District">Marmul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mazar-i-Sharif" title="Mazar-i-Sharif">Mazar-e Sharif</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nahri_Shahi_District" title="Nahri Shahi District">Nahri Shahi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sholgara_District" title="Sholgara District">Sholgara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shortepa_District" title="Shortepa District">Shortepa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zari_District" title="Zari District">Zari</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Bamyan_Province" title="Bamyan Province">Bamyan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bamyan_District" title="Bamyan District">Bamyan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kahmard_District" title="Kahmard District">Kahmard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Panjab_District" title="Panjab District">Panjab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sayghan_District" title="Sayghan District">Sayghan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shibar_District" title="Shibar District">Shibar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Waras_District" title="Waras District">Waras</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yakawlang_District" title="Yakawlang District">Yakawlang</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Daykundi_Province" title="Daykundi Province">Daykundi</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ishtarlay_District" title="Ishtarlay District">Ishtarlay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kajran_District" title="Kajran District">Kajran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khadir_District" title="Khadir District">Khadir</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kiti_District" title="Kiti District">Kiti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Miramor_District" title="Miramor District">Miramor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nili_District" title="Nili District">Nili</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sangi_Takht_District" title="Sangi Takht District">Sangtakht</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahristan_District" title="Shahristan District">Shahristan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Farah_Province" title="Farah Province">Farah</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Anar_Dara_District" title="Anar Dara District">Anar Dara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bakwa_District" title="Bakwa District">Bakwa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bala_Buluk_District" title="Bala Buluk District">Bala Buluk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farah_City_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Farah City District">Farah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gulistan_District" title="Gulistan District">Gulistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khaki_Safed_District" title="Khaki Safed District">Khaki Safed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lash_Wa_Juwayn_District" title="Lash Wa Juwayn District">Lash Wa Juwayn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pur_Chaman_District" title="Pur Chaman District">Pur Chaman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pusht_Rod_District" title="Pusht Rod District">Pusht Rod</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qala_i_Kah_District" title="Qala i Kah District">Qala i Kah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shib_Koh_District" title="Shib Koh District">Shib Koh</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Faryab_Province" title="Faryab Province">Faryab</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Almar_District" title="Almar District">Almar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Andkhoy_District" title="Andkhoy District">Andkhoy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bilchiragh_District" title="Bilchiragh District">Bilchiragh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawlat_Abad_District" title="Dawlat Abad District">Dawlat Abad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghormach_District" title="Ghormach District">Ghormach</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gurziwan_District" title="Gurziwan District">Gurziwan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khani_Chahar_Bagh_District" title="Khani Chahar Bagh District">Khani Chahar Bagh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Sabz_Posh_District" title="Khwaja Sabz Posh District">Khwaja Sabz Posh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kohistan_District,_Faryab" title="Kohistan District, Faryab">Kohistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maymana_District" title="Maymana District">Maymana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pashtun_Kot_District" title="Pashtun Kot District">Pashtun Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qaramqol_District" title="Qaramqol District">Qaramqol</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qaysar_District" title="Qaysar District">Qaysar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qurghan_District" title="Qurghan District">Qurghan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shirin_Tagab_District" title="Shirin Tagab District">Shirin Tagab</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Ghazni_Province" title="Ghazni Province">Ghazni</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ab_Band_District" title="Ab Band District">Ab Band</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ajristan_District" title="Ajristan District">Ajristan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Andar_District" title="Andar District">Andar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dih_Yak_District" title="Dih Yak District">Dih Yak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gelan_District" title="Gelan District">Gelan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghazni_District" title="Ghazni District">Ghazni</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Giro_District_(Afghanistan)" class="mw-redirect" title="Giro District (Afghanistan)">Giro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaghori_District" title="Jaghori District">Jaghori</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaghatu_District,_Ghazni" title="Jaghatu District, Ghazni">Jaghatū</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khogyani_District_(Ghazni)" title="Khogyani District (Ghazni)">Khogyani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Umari_District" title="Khwaja Umari District">Khwaja Umari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Malistan_District" title="Malistan District">Malistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muqur_District,_Ghazni" title="Muqur District, Ghazni">Muqur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nawa_District" title="Nawa District">Nawa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nawur_District" title="Nawur District">Nawur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qarabagh_District,_Ghazni" title="Qarabagh District, Ghazni">Qarabagh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rashidan_District" title="Rashidan District">Rashidan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Waghaz_District" title="Waghaz District">Waghaz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zana_Khan_District" title="Zana Khan District">Zana Khan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Ghor_Province" title="Ghor Province">Ghor</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chaghcharan_District" title="Chaghcharan District">Chaghcharan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marghab_District" title="Marghab District">Marghab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charsadda_District_(Afghanistan)" class="mw-redirect" title="Charsadda District (Afghanistan)">Charsada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawlat_Yar_District" title="Dawlat Yar District">Dawlat Yar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Du_Layna_District" title="Du Layna District">Du Layna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lal_wa_Sarjangal_District" title="Lal wa Sarjangal District">Lal wa Sarjangal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pasaband_District" title="Pasaband District">Pasaband</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saghar_District" title="Saghar District">Saghar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahrak_District" title="Shahrak District">Shahrak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Taywara_District" title="Taywara District">Taywara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tulak_District" title="Tulak District">Tulak</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Helmand_Province" title="Helmand Province">Helmand</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baghran_District" title="Baghran District">Baghran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dishu_District" title="Dishu District">Dishu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Garmsir_District" title="Garmsir District">Garmsir</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grishk_District" title="Grishk District">Grishk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kajaki_District" title="Kajaki District">Kajaki</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khanashin_District" title="Khanashin District">Khanashin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lashkargah_District" title="Lashkargah District">Lashkargah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Musa_Qala_District" title="Musa Qala District">Musa Qala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nad_Ali_District" title="Nad Ali District">Nad Ali</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nawa-I-Barakzayi_District" title="Nawa-I-Barakzayi District">Nawa-I-Barakzayi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nawzad_District" title="Nawzad District">Nawzad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sangin_District" title="Sangin District">Sangin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Washir_District" title="Washir District">Washir</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Herat_Province" title="Herat Province">Herat</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Adraskan_District" title="Adraskan District">Adraskan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chishti_sharif_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Chishti sharif District">Chishti Sharif</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farsi_District" title="Farsi District">Farsi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghoryan_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghoryan District">Ghoryan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gulran_District" title="Gulran District">Gulran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guzara_District" title="Guzara District">Guzara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Herat_District" title="Herat District">Herat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Injil_District" title="Injil District">Injil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Karukh_District" title="Karukh District">Karukh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kohsan_District" title="Kohsan District">Kohsan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kushk_District" title="Kushk District">Kushk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kushki_Kuhna_District" title="Kushki Kuhna District">Kushki Kuhna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Obe_District" title="Obe District">Obe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pashtun_Zarghun_District" title="Pashtun Zarghun District">Pashtun Zarghun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shindand_District" title="Shindand District">Shindand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zinda_Jan_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Zinda Jan District">Zinda Jan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Jowzjan_Province" title="Jowzjan Province">Jowzjan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aqcha_District" title="Aqcha District">Aqcha</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darzab_District" title="Darzab District">Darzab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fayzabad_District,_Jowzjan" title="Fayzabad District, Jowzjan">Fayzabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khamyab_District" title="Khamyab District">Khamyab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khaniqa_District" title="Khaniqa District">Khaniqa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_du_koh_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Khwaja du koh District">Khwaja Du Koh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mardyan_District" title="Mardyan District">Mardyan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mingajik_District" title="Mingajik District">Mingajik</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qarqin_District" title="Qarqin District">Qarqin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qush_Tepa_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Qush Tepa District">Qush Tepa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shibirghan_District" title="Shibirghan District">Shibirghan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Kabul_Province" title="Kabul Province">Kabul</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bagrami_District" title="Bagrami District">Bagrami</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Char_Asiab_District" title="Char Asiab District">Chahar Asyab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deh_Sabz_District" title="Deh Sabz District">Deh Sabz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farza_District" title="Farza District">Farza</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Guldara_District" title="Guldara District">Guldara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Istalif_District" title="Istalif District">Istalif</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kabul_District" title="Kabul District">Kabul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kalakan_District" title="Kalakan District">Kalakan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khaki_Jabbar_District" title="Khaki Jabbar District">Khaki Jabbar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mir_Bacha_Kot_District" title="Mir Bacha Kot District">Mir Bacha Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mussahi_District" title="Mussahi District">Mussahi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paghman_District" title="Paghman District">Paghman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qarabagh_District,_Kabul" title="Qarabagh District, Kabul">Qarabagh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shakardara_District" title="Shakardara District">Shakardara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Surobi_District_(Kabul)" class="mw-redirect" title="Surobi District (Kabul)">Surobi</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Kandahar_Province" title="Kandahar Province">Kandahar</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Arghandab_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Arghandab District">Arghandab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arghistan_District" title="Arghistan District">Arghistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Daman_District,_Afghanistan" title="Daman District, Afghanistan">Daman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghorak_District" title="Ghorak District">Ghorak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kandahar_District" title="Kandahar District">Kandahar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khakrez_District" title="Khakrez District">Khakrez</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maruf_District" title="Maruf District">Maruf</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maiwand_District" title="Maiwand District">Maiwand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Miyanishin_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Miyanishin District">Miyanishin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nesh_District" title="Nesh District">Nesh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Panjwayi_District" title="Panjwayi District">Panjwayi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reg_District_(Kandahar)" class="mw-redirect" title="Reg District (Kandahar)">Reg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shah_Wali_Kot_District" title="Shah Wali Kot District">Shah Wali Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shorabak_District" title="Shorabak District">Shorabak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spin_Boldak_District" title="Spin Boldak District">Spin Boldak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zhari_District" title="Zhari District">Zhari</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Kapisa_Province" title="Kapisa Province">Kapisa</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alasay_District" title="Alasay District">Alasay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hesa_Awal_Kohistan_District" title="Hesa Awal Kohistan District">Hesa Awal Kohistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hesa_Duwum_Kohistan_District" title="Hesa Duwum Kohistan District">Hesa Duwum Kohistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Koh_Band_District" title="Koh Band District">Koh Band</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mahmud_Raqi_District" title="Mahmud Raqi District">Mahmud Raqi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nijrab_District" title="Nijrab District">Nijrab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tagab_District,_Kapisa" title="Tagab District, Kapisa">Tagab</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td><td class="navbox-list" style="border-left:2px solid #fdfdfd;padding:0px;width:10em;"><div> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Khost_Province" title="Khost Province">Khost</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bak_District" title="Bak District">Bak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gurbuz_District" title="Gurbuz District">Gurbuz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zazi_Maidan_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Zazi Maidan District">Zazi Maidan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khost_(Matun)_District" title="Khost (Matun) District">Khost (Matun)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mandozayi_District" title="Mandozayi District">Mandozayi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Musakhel_District,_Afghanistan" title="Musakhel District, Afghanistan">Musakhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nadir_Shah_Kot_District" title="Nadir Shah Kot District">Nadir Shah Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qalandar_District" title="Qalandar District">Qalandar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sabari_District" title="Sabari District">Sabari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shamal_District" title="Shamal District">Shamal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spera_District" title="Spera District">Spera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tani_District" title="Tani District">Tani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tirazayi_District" title="Tirazayi District">Tirazayi</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Kunar_Province" title="Kunar Province">Kunar</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Asadabad_District" title="Asadabad District">Asadabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bar_Kunar_District" title="Bar Kunar District">Bar Kunar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chapa_Dara_District" title="Chapa Dara District">Chapa Dara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chawkay_District" title="Chawkay District">Chawkay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dangam_District" title="Dangam District">Dangam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dara-I-Pech_District" title="Dara-I-Pech District">Dara-I-Pech</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghaziabad_District,_Kunar_Province" class="mw-redirect" title="Ghaziabad District, Kunar Province">Ghaziabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khas_Kunar_District" title="Khas Kunar District">Khas Kunar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Marawara_District" title="Marawara District">Marawara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Narang_Aw_Badil_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Narang Aw Badil District">Narang Aw Badil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nari_District" title="Nari District">Nari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nurgal_District" title="Nurgal District">Nurgal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shaigal_District" title="Shaigal District">Shaigal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shultan_District" title="Shultan District">Shultan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sirkanay_District" title="Sirkanay District">Sirkanay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wata_Pur_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Wata Pur District">Wata Pur</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Kunduz_Province" title="Kunduz Province">Kunduz</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ali_Abad_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Ali Abad District">Ali Abad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dasht-e-Archi_District" title="Dasht-e-Archi District">Dasht-e-Archi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chardara_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Chardara District">Chardara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imam_Sahib_District" title="Imam Sahib District">Imam Sahib</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khan_Abad_District" title="Khan Abad District">Khan Abad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kunduz_District" title="Kunduz District">Kunduz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qalay-I-Zal_District" title="Qalay-I-Zal District">Qalay-I-Zal</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Laghman_Province" title="Laghman Province">Laghman</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alingar_District" title="Alingar District">Alingar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Alishing_District" title="Alishing District">Alishing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dawlat_Shah_District" title="Dawlat Shah District">Dawlat Shah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mihtarlam_District" title="Mihtarlam District">Mihtarlam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qarghayi_District" title="Qarghayi District">Qarghayi</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Logar_Province" title="Logar Province">Logar</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Azra_District" title="Azra District">Azra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baraki_Barak_District" title="Baraki Barak District">Baraki Barak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Charkh_District" title="Charkh District">Charkh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kharwar_District" title="Kharwar District">Kharwar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khoshi_District" title="Khoshi District">Khoshi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mohammad_Agha_District" title="Mohammad Agha District">Mohammad Agha</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Puli_Alam_District" title="Puli Alam District">Puli Alam</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Nangarhar_Province" title="Nangarhar Province">Nangarhar</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Achin_District" title="Achin District">Achin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bati_Kot_District" title="Bati Kot District">Bati Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bihsud_District" title="Bihsud District">Bihsud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chaparhar_District" title="Chaparhar District">Chaparhar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darai_Nur_District" title="Darai Nur District">Darai Nur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dih_Bala_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Dih Bala District">Dih Bala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dur_Baba_District" title="Dur Baba District">Dur Baba</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Goshta_District" title="Goshta District">Goshta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hesarak_District" title="Hesarak District">Hisarak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jalalabad" title="Jalalabad">Jalalabad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kama_District" title="Kama District">Kama</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khogyani_District_(Nangarhar)" class="mw-redirect" title="Khogyani District (Nangarhar)">Khogyani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kot_District" title="Kot District">Kot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuz_Kunar_District" title="Kuz Kunar District">Kuz Kunar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lal_Pur_District" title="Lal Pur District">Lal Pur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Momand_Dara_District" title="Momand Dara District">Momand Dara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nazyan_District" title="Nazyan District">Nazyan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pachir_Aw_Agam_District" title="Pachir Aw Agam District">Pachir Aw Agam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rodat_District" title="Rodat District">Rodat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sherzad_District" title="Sherzad District">Sherzad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shinwar_District" title="Shinwar District">Shinwar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Surkh_Rod_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Surkh Rod District">Surkh Rod</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Nimruz_Province" title="Nimruz Province">Nimruz</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chahar_Burjak_District" title="Chahar Burjak District">Chahar Burjak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chakhansur_District" title="Chakhansur District">Chakhansur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Delaram_District" title="Delaram District">Delaram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kang_District" title="Kang District">Kang</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khash_Rod_District" title="Khash Rod District">Khash Rod</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zaranj_District" title="Zaranj District">Zaranj</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Nuristan_Province" title="Nuristan Province">Nuristan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bargi_Matal_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Bargi Matal District">Bargi Matal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Du_Ab_District" title="Du Ab District">Du Ab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kamdesh_District" title="Kamdesh District">Kamdesh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mandol_District" title="Mandol District">Mandol</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nurgaram_District" title="Nurgaram District">Nurgaram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parun_District" title="Parun District">Paroon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wama_District" title="Wama District">Wama</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Waygal_District" title="Waygal District">Waygal</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Paktia_Province" title="Paktia Province">Paktia</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ahmad_Aba_District" title="Ahmad Aba District">Ahmad Aba</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ahmadkhel_District" title="Ahmadkhel District">Ahmadkhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dand_Aw_Patan_District" title="Dand Aw Patan District">Dand Aw Patan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gardez_District" title="Gardez District">Gardez</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Janikhel_District_(Paktia)" class="mw-redirect" title="Janikhel District (Paktia)">Janikhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Said_Karam_District" title="Said Karam District">Said Karam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shwak_District" title="Shwak District">Shwak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tsamkani_District" title="Tsamkani District">Tsamkani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zadran_District" title="Zadran District">Zadran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zazi_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Zazi District">Zazi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zurmat_District" title="Zurmat District">Zurmat</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Paktika_Province" title="Paktika Province">Paktika</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Barmal_District" title="Barmal District">Barmal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dila_District,_Afghanistan" title="Dila District, Afghanistan">Dila</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gayan_District" title="Gayan District">Gayan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gomal_District" title="Gomal District">Gomal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Janikhel_District_(Paktika)" class="mw-redirect" title="Janikhel District (Paktika)">Janikhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khairkot_District" title="Khairkot District">Khairkot</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mata_Khan_District" title="Mata Khan District">Mata Khan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nika_District" title="Nika District">Nika</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Omna_District" title="Omna District">Omna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sar_Hawza_District" title="Sar Hawza District">Sar Hawza</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Surobi_District_(Paktika)" class="mw-redirect" title="Surobi District (Paktika)">Surobi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sharana_District" title="Sharana District">Sharana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Terwa_District" title="Terwa District">Terwa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Urgun_District" title="Urgun District">Urgun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wazakhwa_District" title="Wazakhwa District">Wazakhwa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wor_Mamay_District" title="Wor Mamay District">Wor Mamay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yahyakhel_District" title="Yahyakhel District">Yahyakhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yusufkhel_District" title="Yusufkhel District">Yusufkhel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zerok_District" title="Zerok District">Zerok</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Panjshir_Province" title="Panjshir Province">Panjshir</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Anaba_District" title="Anaba District">Anaba</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bazarak_District" title="Bazarak District">Bazarak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darah_District" title="Darah District">Darah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khenj_District" title="Khenj District">Khenj</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paryan_District" title="Paryan District">Paryan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rokha_District" title="Rokha District">Rokha</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shotul_District" title="Shotul District">Shotul</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Parwan_Province" title="Parwan Province">Parwan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bagram_District" title="Bagram District">Bagram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chaharikar_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Chaharikar District">Chaharikar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ghorband_District" title="Ghorband District">Ghorband</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jabul_Saraj_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Jabul Saraj District">Jabul Saraj</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kohi_Safi_District" title="Kohi Safi District">Kohi Safi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Salang_District" title="Salang District">Salang</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sayed_Khel_District" title="Sayed Khel District">Sayed Khel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shekh_Ali_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Shekh Ali District">Shekh Ali</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shinwari_District" title="Shinwari District">Shinwari</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Surkhi_Parsa_District" title="Surkhi Parsa District">Surkhi Parsa</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Samangan_Province" title="Samangan Province">Samangan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aybak_District" title="Aybak District">Aybak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dara-i_Sufi_Bala_District" title="Dara-i Sufi Bala District">Dara-i Sufi Bala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dara-i_Sufi_Payin_District" title="Dara-i Sufi Payin District">Dara-i Sufi Payin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Feroz_Nakhchir_District" title="Feroz Nakhchir District">Feroz Nakhchir</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hazrati_Sultan_District" title="Hazrati Sultan District">Hazarati Sultan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khuram_Wa_Sarbagh_District" title="Khuram Wa Sarbagh District">Khuram Wa Sarbagh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ruyi_Du_Ab_District" title="Ruyi Du Ab District">Ruyi Du Ab</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Sar-e_Pol_Province" title="Sar-e Pol Province">Sar-e Pol</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkhab_District" title="Balkhab District">Balkhab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gosfandi_District" title="Gosfandi District">Gosfandi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kohistanat_District" title="Kohistanat District">Kohistanat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sancharak_District" title="Sancharak District">Sancharak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sar-e_Pol_District" title="Sar-e Pol District">Sari Pul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sayyad_District" title="Sayyad District">Sayyad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sozma_Qala_District" title="Sozma Qala District">Sozma Qala</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Takhar_Province" title="Takhar Province">Takhar</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baharak_District,_Takhar" title="Baharak District, Takhar">Baharak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bangi_District" title="Bangi District">Bangi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chah_Ab_District" title="Chah Ab District">Chah Ab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chal_District" title="Chal District">Chal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Darqad_District" title="Darqad District">Darqad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dashti_Qala_District" title="Dashti Qala District">Dashti Qala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Farkhar_District" title="Farkhar District">Farkhar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hazar_Sumuch_District" title="Hazar Sumuch District">Hazar Sumuch</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ishkamish_District" title="Ishkamish District">Ishkamish</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kalafgan_District" title="Kalafgan District">Kalafgan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Bahauddin_District" title="Khwaja Bahauddin District">Khwaja Bahauddin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khwaja_Ghar_District" title="Khwaja Ghar District">Khwaja Ghar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Namak_Ab_District" title="Namak Ab District">Namak Ab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rustaq_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Rustaq District">Rustaq</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Taluqan_District" title="Taluqan District">Taluqan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Warsaj_District" title="Warsaj District">Warsaj</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yangi_Qala_District" title="Yangi Qala District">Yangi Qala</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Uruzgan_Province" title="Uruzgan Province">Uruzgan</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chora_District" title="Chora District">Chora</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deh_Rawood_District" title="Deh Rawood District">Deh Rawood</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gizab_District" title="Gizab District">Gizab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khas_Uruzgan_District" title="Khas Uruzgan District">Khas Uruzgan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahidi_Hassas_District" title="Shahidi Hassas District">Shahidi Hassas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tarinkot_District" title="Tarinkot District">Tarinkot</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Maidan_Wardak_Province" title="Maidan Wardak Province">Wardak</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chaki_Wardak_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Chaki Wardak District">Chaki Wardak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Day_Mirdad_District" title="Day Mirdad District">Day Mirdad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hesa_Awal_Behsood_District" title="Hesa Awal Behsood District">Hisa-I-Awali Bihsud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaghatu_District_(Wardak)" class="mw-redirect" title="Jaghatu District (Wardak)">Jaghatu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jalrez_District" title="Jalrez District">Jalrez</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Markazi_Bihsud_District" title="Markazi Bihsud District">Markazi Bihsud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maidan_Shar_District" title="Maidan Shar District">Maidan Shar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nirkh_District" title="Nirkh District">Nirkh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saydabad_District" title="Saydabad District">Saydabad</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Zabul_Province" title="Zabul Province">Zabul</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Argahandab_District" class="mw-redirect" title="Argahandab District">Argahandab</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Atghar_District" title="Atghar District">Atghar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dey_Chopan_District" title="Dey Chopan District">Dey Chopan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kakar_District" title="Kakar District">Kakar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mezana_District" title="Mezana District">Mezana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naw_Bahar_District" title="Naw Bahar District">Naw Bahar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qalat_District" title="Qalat District">Qalat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shahjoy_District" title="Shahjoy District">Shahjoy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shamulzayi_District" title="Shamulzayi District">Shamulzayi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shinkay_District" title="Shinkay District">Shinkay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tarnak_Aw_Jaldak_District" title="Tarnak Aw Jaldak District">Tarnak Aw Jaldak</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Zoroastrianism" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="3" style="background:#FBEC5D;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Zoroastrianism" title="Template:Zoroastrianism"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Zoroastrianism" title="Template talk:Zoroastrianism"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Zoroastrianism" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Zoroastrianism"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Zoroastrianism" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism" title="Zoroastrianism">Zoroastrianism</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Primary topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ahura_Mazda" title="Ahura Mazda">Ahura Mazda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroaster" title="Zoroaster">Zarathustra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asha" title="Asha">Asha</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vohu_Manah" title="Vohu Manah">Vohu Manah</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Persia/Iran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Faravahar" title="Faravahar">Faravahar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Avestan" title="Avestan">Avestan</a></li></ul> </div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="8" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:ZoroastrianismSymbolWhite.PNG" class="mw-file-description" title="Atar (fire)"><img alt="Atar (fire)" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/ZoroastrianismSymbolWhite.PNG" decoding="async" width="151" height="194" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="151" data-file-height="194" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Divine entities</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Amesha_Spenta" title="Amesha Spenta">Amesha Spentas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yazata" title="Yazata">Yazatas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ahura" title="Ahura">Ahuras</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Daeva" title="Daeva">Daevas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Angra_Mainyu" class="mw-redirect" title="Angra Mainyu">Angra Mainyu</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Scripture and worship</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Avesta" title="Avesta">Avesta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gathas" class="mw-redirect" title="Gathas">Gathas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ashem_Vohu" title="Ashem Vohu">Ashem Vohu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ahuna_Vairya" title="Ahuna Vairya">Ahuna Vairya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yenghe_hatam" title="Yenghe hatam">Yenghe hatam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Airyaman_ishya" title="Airyaman ishya">Airyaman ishya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fire_temple" title="Fire temple">Fire Temples</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/101_Names_of_God" class="mw-redirect" title="101 Names of God">101 Names of Ahura Mazda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Udvada_Atash_Behram" class="mw-redirect" title="Udvada Atash Behram">Udvada Atash Behram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Adur_Burzen-Mihr" title="Adur Burzen-Mihr">Adur Burzen-Mihr</a></li> <li>Adur Farnbag</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Adur_Gushnasp" title="Adur Gushnasp">Adur Gushnasp</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cypress_of_Kashmar" title="Cypress of Kashmar">Cypress of Kashmar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yasna" title="Yasna">Yasna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vendidad" title="Vendidad">Vendidad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Visperad" title="Visperad">Visperad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yasht" title="Yasht">Yashts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khordeh_Avesta" title="Khordeh Avesta">Khordeh Avesta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Revayats" class="mw-redirect" title="The Revayats">The Revayats</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ab-Zohr" title="Ab-Zohr">Ab-Zohr</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Atash_Behram" title="Atash Behram">Atash Behram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Magi" title="Magi">Magi</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Accounts and legends</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Denkard" title="Denkard">Dēnkard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bundahishn" title="Bundahishn">Bundahišn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Book_of_Arda_Viraf" title="Book of Arda Viraf">Book of Arda Viraf</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jamasp_Namag" title="Jamasp Namag">Book of Jamasp</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Qissa-i_Sanjan" title="Qissa-i Sanjan">Story of Sanjan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chinvat_Bridge" title="Chinvat Bridge">Chinvat Bridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frashokereti" title="Frashokereti">Frashokereti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Xrafstar" title="Xrafstar">Xrafstar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hamistagan" title="Hamistagan">Hamistagan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Duzakh" title="Duzakh">Duzakh</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Cities</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Balkh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kashmar" title="Kashmar">Kashmar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yazd" title="Yazd">Yazd</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">History and culture</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Parsi" class="mw-redirect" title="Parsi">Parsis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zurvanism" title="Zurvanism">Zurvanism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mazdakism" title="Mazdakism">Mazdakism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Khurramites" title="Khurramites">Khurramites</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Three_Persian_religions" title="Three Persian religions">Three Persian religions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrian_calendar" title="Zoroastrian calendar">Calendar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrian_festivals" title="Zoroastrian festivals">Festivals</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrian_wedding" title="Zoroastrian wedding">Marriage</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tower_of_Silence" title="Tower of Silence">Burial</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Adherents</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Persecution_of_Zoroastrians" title="Persecution of Zoroastrians">Persecution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Afghanistan" title="Zoroastrianism in Afghanistan">in Afghanistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Armenia" title="Zoroastrianism in Armenia">in Armenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Azerbaijan" title="Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan">in Azerbaijan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_China" class="mw-redirect" title="Zoroastrianism in China">in China</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Sichuan" title="Zoroastrianism in Sichuan">in Sichuan</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_India" title="Zoroastrianism in India">in India</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Irani_(India)" class="mw-redirect" title="Irani (India)">Irani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parsis" title="Parsis">Parsis</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Iran" title="Zoroastrianism in Iran">in Iran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Religion_in_Iraq#Zoroastrianism" title="Religion in Iraq">in Iraq</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Pakistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Zoroastrianism in Pakistan">in Pakistan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Russia" title="Zoroastrianism in Russia">in Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_the_United_States" title="Zoroastrianism in the United States">in United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism_in_Uzbekistan" class="mw-redirect" title="Zoroastrianism in Uzbekistan">in Uzbekistan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FBEC5D;;width:1%">Lists</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_fire_temples_in_Iran" title="List of fire temples in Iran">Fire temples in Iran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_fire_temples_in_India" title="List of fire temples in India">Fire temples in India</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" 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href="https://viaf.org/viaf/123188280">VIAF</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1223778/">FAST</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PBJmTmYG9RhgpkWYrX9wV4q">WorldCat</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-nb.info/gnd/4222380-5">Germany</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n83005425">United States</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip tooltip-dotted" title="Balkh (Afghanistan)"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" 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