Bost (Afghanistan)

Bost ( Persian قالآى باست Qala-e Bost ) was an ancient city with a citadel in southern Afghanistan and a precursor settlement of the modern city of Laschkar Gah, about 10 kilometers to the north.

history

The ancient city of Bost on the east bank of the Hilmend River was settled as early as the 7th century BC. It experienced a heyday under the Ghaznavids , whose dynasty was founded around 962 AD by Alp-Tigin in the region around Ghazni .

In the second half of the 12th century, the Ghurids conquered the Ghaznavid Empire and briefly rose to the dominant power of the Islamic East at the beginning of the 13th century.

Bost is right on the caravan route between Persia and India . This favorable location enabled a special trade relationship between the two powers and led to the cultural development of the region. In addition to the brisk trade in and around the Bost Citadel, Islamic literature reports on the fertile areas and the good irrigation system between the rivers Hilmend and Arghandāb and the beautifully landscaped orchards.

The city of Bost was burned down several times by the Ghurids, the Mongols and the Arab occupying forces.

buildings

The city's archway and Qala-e Bost fortress are monumental remains from the Ghaznavid and Ghurid era between the 9th and 12th centuries. They document a cultural heyday in Afghanistan and Central Asia and are therefore particularly worthy of protection from a scientific and cultural point of view. The wealth of the medieval city of Bost has been extolled by Arabic and Persian writers in short stories and poems.

In the remains of the Bost fortress, the archaeologists found evidence from the time of the ancient Persian, Greco-Roman and ancient Indian rule epochs as well as some private houses from the Islamic invasion period.

The monumental arches of the Bost Citadel were built by the rulers of the Ghurids. The top of the citadel archway is over 25 meters high and is flanked by pillars with inscriptions and decorations.

Web links / sources

• BOST - archeological site and town located near the confluence of the Helmand and Arḡandāb rivers in southwest Afghanistan Encyclopaedia Iranica
• Afghan Hero: Archeological Sites and Treasures in Afghanistan - Qala-e-Bost
• Asia Undiscovered: City of Bost
• Photo: Qala-e Bost fortress
• Nationalgeographic: Arch of Qala-e Bost

Coordinates: 31 ° 30 ′ 2.9 ″  N , 64 ° 21 ′ 27 ″  E