Balkh is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts and has a population of about 1,509,183, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The city of Mazar-i-Sharif serves as the capital of the province. The Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport and Camp Marmal sit on the eastern edge of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Image: Blue Mosque in the northern Afghan city in 2012
Image: Fortress ruins, Khulm
Image: 194 19th Century Palace, Tashkurgan, Afghanistan 2013
Image: Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan (Unsplash)
Mazar-i-Sharīf, also known as Mazar-e Sharīf or simply Mazar, is the fourth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with an estimated 500,207 residents in 2021. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez, Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km (34 mi) from the Uzbek border. The city is also a tourist attraction because of its famous shrines as well as the Islamic and Hellenistic archeological sites. The ancient city of Balkh is also nearby.
Image: Nowruz in northern Afghanistan 2011 (cropped)
Image: Masjid Sabz Balkh Mazar e Sharif Afghanistan
Image: Burqa, Shrine of Hazrat Ali or The blue mosque
Image: Mazar i Sharif Madrassah
