Herat
Herat is a city in western Afghanistan, in the valley of the Hari Rud river, and was traditionally known for wine. The inhabitants are mainly Tajiks.
It's an ancient city with many historic buildings, although these have suffered damage in various military conflicts during the last few decades. The buildings are generally constructed of mud brick. The city is dominated by the remains of a citadel, constructed under the rule of Alexander the Great.
The city had a favourable position on the trade routes between Persia, India, China and Europe. The roads from Herat to Turkmenistan and Iran are still strategically important.
History
Herat is probably a descendent of the ancient Persian town of
Artacoana, established before 500BC. The inhabitants of the
area were Arians and the town was sometimes known as Aria.
It was captured by Alexander the Great in 330BC during his war
against the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The town was rebuilt and the citadel was
constructed. It was part of the Seleucid Empire but was
captured by others on various occasions and became part of
the Parthian Empire in 167BC.
Around 484 it became part of the Hephthalite Empire.
Around 786-809 it was part of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Later it was ruled by the Tahirids.
After 867-869 the Saffarids were in control.
Before 1040 it was ruled by the Ghaznavids. In 1040 it was
captured by the Seljuk Empire. In 1175 it was captured by the Ghorids and then came under the Khawarazm Empire. In this period Herat became an important center for the production of metal goods, especially in bronze, often decorated with elaborate inlays in precious metals.
In 1221 it was captured by the Mongols and later destroyed by
Genghis Khan. In 1245 it was given to the Kart Maliks.
Around 1381 it was destroyed again by Tamerlane. Under his son Shah Rukh it was rebuilt and became an important center under the Timurid Empire. In the late 1400s the Musalla complex (with many minarets) was built under the rule of Queen Gawharshad. Her tomb complex is considered one of the great monuments of Timurid architectural carving.
In 1506 it was captured by the Uzbeks and a few years later by
Shah Ismail Safavi, to become part of a new Persian Empire.
From 1718 until 1880 there were various battles until the city
became part of a united Afghanistan.
It was used by the Soviets during their occupation from 1979.
Later it was under the controlled by the former Mujahedin commander Ismail Khan. In 1995 it was captured by the Taliban. In November 12, 2001 it was captured by the Northern Alliance.
external links:
[Historical Buildings in Herat]