هراتیها Heratiha

the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006.[1] It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. The city is linked with Kandahar, Mazar-i Sharif and Kabul via a circular highway that stretches across the country. Situated in a fertile area, Herāt is about 2,700 years old and was traditionally known for its wine. The city has many historic buildings, although these have suffered damage in various military conflicts during the last few decades. During the Middle Ages Herāt became one of the important cities of Khorasan, as it was known as the Pearl of Khorasan.[2]
Herāt lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The roads from Herāt to Iran, Turkmenistan, and other parts of the country are still strategically important. The city is the gateway to Iran, collecting the highest amount of customs revenue for Afghanistan.[3]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Islamic conquest
1.2 Ghaznavids
1.3 Local dynasties
1.4 Safavid rule
1.5 Modern history
2 Climate
3 Demography
3.1 Notable people from Herāt
4 Transport
4.1 Air
4.2 Rail
5 Places of interest
6 Gallery
7 Herāt in fiction
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
[edit]History

Herat dates back to ancient times, but its exact age remains unknown. During the period of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550-330 BC), the surrounding district was known as Haraiva (in Old Persian), and in classical sources the region was correspondingly known as Aria (Areia). In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the district is mentioned as Haroiva. The name of the district and its main town is derived from that of the chief river of the region, the Hari River (Old Iranian Harayu, "Golden Water"), which traverses the district and passes some 5 km (3.1 mi) south of modern Herāt. Hari is mentioned in Sanskrit as yellow or golden color equivalent to Persian Zar meaning Gold (yellow). The naming of a region and its principal town after the main river is a common feature in this part of the world—compare the adjoining districts/rivers/towns of Arachosia and Bactria. Reconstruction of Ptolemy's map (2nd century AD) of Aria (Herāt) and neighbouring states by the 15th century German cartographer Nicolaus Germanus
The district Aria of the Persian Achaemenid Empire is mentioned in the provincial lists that are included in various royal inscriptions, for instance, in the Behistun inscription of Darius I (ca. 520 BC).[4] Representatives from the district are depicted in reliefs, e.g., at the royal Achaemenid tombs of Naqsh-e Rustam and Persepolis. Herodotus described Herāt as the bread-basket of Central Asia. At the time of Alexander the Great, Aria was obviously an important district. It was administered by a satrap called Satibarzanes, who was one of the three main Persian officials in the East of the Empire, together with the satrap Bessus of Bactria and Barsaentes of Arachosia. In late 330 BC, Alexander the Great captured the A***n capital that was called Artacoana. It became part of the Seleucid Empire but was captured by others on various occasions and became part of the Parthian Empire in 167 BC. In the Sasanian period (226-652), Harēv is listed in an inscription on the Ka'ba-i Zartosht at Naqsh-e Rustam; and Hariy is mentioned in the Pahlavi catalogue of the provincial capitals of the empire. In around 430, the town is also listed as having a Christian community, with a Nestorian bishop.[5]
In the last two centuries of Sasanian rule, Aria (Herāt) had great strategic importance in the endless wars between the Sasanians, the Chionites and the Hephthalites who had been settled in modern northern Afghanistan since the late 4th century.
[edit]Islamic conquest
Further information: Islamic conquest of Afghanistan


Inside the famous Friday Mosque of Herat or Masjid Jami. At the time of the Arab invasion in the middle of the 7th century, the Sasanian central power seemed already largely nominal in the province in contrast with the role of the Hephthalites tribal lords, who were settled in the Herat region and in the neighboring districts, mainly in pastoral Bādghis and in Qohestān. It must be underlined, however, that Herat remained one of the three Sasanian mint centers in the East, the other two being Balkh and Marv. The Hephthalites from Herat and some unidentified Turks opposed the Arab forces in a battle of Qohestān in 31/651-52, trying to block their advance on Nishāpur, but they were defeated. When the Arab armies appeared in Khorāsān in the 650s, Herāt was counted among the twelve capital towns of the Sasanian Empire. The Arab army under the general command of Ahnaf ibn Qais in its conquest of Khorāsān in 31/652 seems to have avoided Herāt, but it can be assumed that the city submitted to the Arabs, since shortly afterwards an Arab governor is mentioned there. A treaty was drawn including the regions of Bādghis and Bushanj. As did many other places in Khorāsān, Herāt rebelled and had to be re-conquered several times.[6] In 83/702 Yzid ibn al-Muhallab defeated certain Arab rebels, followers of Ibn al-Ash'ath, and forced them out of Herat. The city was the scene of conflicts between different groups of Muslims and Arab tribes in the disorders leading to the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate. Herat was also a centre of the followers of Ustadh Sis.
[edit]Ghaznavids
Herāt was under the rule of King Nuh III of Samanid[7] the seventh of the Samanid line—at the time of Sebük Tigin and his older son, Mahmud of Ghazni. The governor of Herāt was a noble by the name of Faik,[7] who governed on behalf of Nuh III. Faik was a powerful, but insubordinate governor of Nuh III; and had been punished by Nuh III. Faik made overtures to Bogra Khan and Ughar Khan of Turkestan. Bogra Khan answered Faik's call, came to Herāt and became its master. The Samanids fled, betrayed at the hands of Faik to whom the defence of Herāt had been entrusted by Nuh III.[8]
In 994, Nuh III invited Alp Tigin to come to his aid. Alp Tigin, along with Mahmud of Ghazni, defeated Faik and annexed Herāt, Nishapur and Tous.Skrine, Francis Henry; Ross, Edward Denison. The heart of Asia: a history of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the earliest times. Routledge. Herāt was a great trading centre strategically located on trade routes from Mediterranean Sea to India or to China. The city was noted for its textiles during the Abbasid Caliphate, according to many references in the geographers. Herāt also had many learned sons such as Ansārī. The city is described by Estakhri and Ibn Hawqal in the 10th century as a prosperous town surrounded by strong walls with plenty of water sources, extensive suburbs, an inner citadel, a congregational mosque, and four gates, each gate opening to a thriving market place. The government building was outside the city at a distance of about a mile in a place called Khorāsānābād. A church was still visible in the countryside northeast of the town on the road to Balkh, and farther away on a hilltop stood a flourishing fire temple, called Sereshk, or Arshak according to Mostawfi.[9][10][11][12][13]
[edit]Local dynasties
Further information: Tahirid Dynasty, Saffarid Dynasty, Ghaznavids, Ghurid Dynasty, and Timurid Dynasty


Page of calligraphy in nasta'liq script by the 16th century master calligrapher Mir 'Ali Heravi[14]
Herat was a part of the Taherid dominion in Khorāsān until the rise of the Saffarids in Sistān under Ya'qub-i Laith in 861, who, in 862, started launching raids on Herat before besieging and capturing it on 16 August 867, and again in 872. The Saffarids succeeded in expelling the Taherids from Khorasan in 873. The Sāmānid dynasty was established in Transoxiana by three brothers, Nuh, Yahyā, and Ahmad. Ahmad Sāmāni opened the way for the Samanid dynasty to the conquest of Khorāsān, including Herāt, which they were to rule for one century. The centralized Samanid administration served as a model for later dynasties. The Samanid power was destroyed in 999 by the Qarakhanids, who were advancing on Transoxiana from the northeast, and by the Ghaznavids, former Samanid retainers, attacking from the southeast. Sultan Maḥmud of Ghazna officially took control of Khorāsān in 998. Herat was one of the six Ghaznavid mints in the region. In 1040, Herat was captured by the Seljuk Empire. Yet, in 1175, it was captured by the Ghurids and then came under the Khawarazm Empire. According to the account of Hamd Allah Mostowfi, Herāt flourished especially under the Ghurid dynasty in the 6th/12th century. The great mosque of Herāt was built by Ghiyas ad-Din Ghori in 1201. In this period Herāt became an important center for the production of metal goods, especially in bronze, often decorated with elaborate inlays in precious metals. Herāt was invaded and destroyed by Genghis Khan's Mongol army in 1221. The city was destroyed a second time and remained in ruins from 1222 to about 1236. In 1244 a local prince Shams al-Din Kart was named ruler of Herāt by the Mongol governor of Khorāsān and in 1255 he was confirmed in his rule by the founder of the Il-Khan dynasty Hulagu. Shams al-Din founded a new dynasty and his successors, especially Fakhr-al-Din and Ghiyath al-Din, built many mosques and other buildings. The members of this dynasty were great patrons of literature and the arts. Battleground of Timur and Egyptian King, by Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād Herawī, a famous painter from Herat, c. 1494-1495, Timurid era
Timur took Herat in 1380 and he brought the Kartid dynasty to an end a few years later, but the city reached its greatest glory under the Timurid princes, especially Sultan Husayn Bayqara who ruled Herat from 1469 to 912/1506. His chief minister, the poet and author in Persian and Turkish, Mir Ali-Shir Nava'i was a great builder and patron of the arts. Under the Timurids, Herat assumed the role of the main capital of an empire that extended in the West as far as central Persia. As the capital of the Timurid empire, it boasted many fine religious buildings and was famous for its sumptuous court life and musical performance and its tradition of miniature paintings. On the whole, the period was one of relative stability, prosperity, and development of economy and cultural activities. It began with the nomination of Shahrokh, the youngest son of Timur, as governor of Herat in 1397. The reign of Shahrokh in Herat was marked by intense royal patronage, building activities, and promotion of manufacturing and trade, especially through the restoration and enlargement of the Herat’s bāzār. The present Mosalla Complex, and many buildings such as the madrasa of Goharshad, Ali Shir mahāl, many gardens, and others, date from this time. The village of Gazargah, over two km northeast of Herat, contained a shrine which was enlarged and embellished under the Timurids. The tomb of the poet and mystic Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī (d. 1088), was first rebuilt by Shahrokh about 1425, and other famous men were buried in the shrine area.
[edit]Safavid rule
In 1507 Herat was occupied by the Uzbeks but after much fighting the city was taken by Shah Isma'il, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, in 1510 and the Shamlu Qizilbash assumed the governorship of the area. Under the Safavids, Herat was again relegated to the position of a provincial capital, albeit one of a particular importance. At the death of Shah Isma'il the Uzbeks again took Herat and held it until Shah Tahmasp retook it in 1528. Several times later for brief periods the Uzbeks held the city but the Safavids ruled it most of the time until the revolt of the Ghilzai and Abdali Afghans in 1716. Several Safavid expeditions to retake the city failed, and the Abdalis remained in possession of the city until 1736 when they submitted to Nader Shah. In 1747 the nephew of Nader Shah, one Aliqoli Khan, revolted in Herat but after Nader's death in that year Herat fell under Afghan rule.
[edit]Modern history
Further information: Hotaki dynasty and Durrani Empire

Afghan royal soldiers of the Durrani Empire. From 1725 to 1736 Herat was controlled by Hotaki dynasty until Nader Shah's take over. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of the city and became part of the Durrani Empire. In 1824, it became independent for several years when the empire was split between the Durranis and the Barakzais. Qajars of Persia tried to take city from the Durranis in 1852 and again in 1856; both times the British helped to repel the Persians, the second time through the Anglo-Persian War. The city fell to Dost Mohammad Khan of the Barakzai dynasty in 1863. Most of the Musallah complex in Herat was cleared in 1885 by the British army to get a good line of sight for their artillery against Russian invaders who never came. This was but one small sidetrack in the Great Game, a century-long conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in 19th century. During the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Herat Airport was used by the Soviet forces. Even before the Soviet invasion at the end of 1979, there was a substantial presence of Soviet advisors in the city with their families. From 10 to 20 March 1979 the army in Herāt under the control of Ismail Khan mutinied. Reprisals by the Afghan government followed, and between 3000 and 5000 people were killed.[15] City itself was recaptured with tanks and airborne forces. Ismail Khan became the leading Mujahedin commander in Herāt. After the departure of the Soviets, he became governor of Herāt. In September 1995 the city was captured by the Taliban without much resistance, forcing Ismail Khan to flee. However, after the US invasion of Afghanistan, on November 12, 2001, it was liberated from the Taliban by the Northern Alliance and Ismail Khan returned to power (see Battle of Herat). In 2004, Mirwais Sadiq, Aviation Minister of Afghanistan and the son of Ismail Khan, was ambushed and killed in Herāt by a local rival group. More than 200 people were arrested under suspicion of involvement.[16]
Herāt is now fully under the control of Afghanistan's new central government, led by Hamid Karzai, who was initially backed by the United States. The Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police provide security in the city as well as the whole province. There are also presence of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces in the area, which is led by Italy and assisting the Military of Afghanistan. Due to their close connection, Iran began investing in the development of Herat's power, economy and education sectors. As a result, the city now enjoys 24-hour electricity, paved roads, and a higher sense of security."[17] In the meantime, the United States is building a consulate in Herat to help further strenghten its relations with Afghanistan. Afghans who apply for visa to the United States would not be required to travel all the way to Kabul anymore. The consulate will also work with the local officials on development projects and with security issues in the region.[18]
[edit]Climate

Herāt
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
52 9−3
45 12−1
55 184
29 249
9.8 3013
0 3518
0 3721
0 3519
0 3113
1.7 257
11 181
36 12−1
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: World Climate Charts
[show]Imperial conversion
Although Herāt is approximately 240 m (790 ft) lower than Kandahar, the summer climate is more temperate, and the climate throughout the year is far from disagreeable. From May to September, the wind blows from the northwest with great force. The winter is tolerably mild; snow melts as it falls, and even on the mountains does not lie long. Three years out of four it does not freeze hard enough for the people to store ice. The eastern reaches of the Hari River, including the rapids, are frozen hard in the winter, and people travel on it as on a road.
[edit]Demography

The population of Herat numbers approximately 397,500.[19] The exact figures on ethnic groups is unavailable but most sources state that Persian-speaking Tajiks are the main inhabitants of the city, and are roughly the same as the Persians of eastern Iran.[20][21] According to a 2003 National Geographic suggested estimate, Tajiks form about 85% of the city population.Pashto-speaking Pashtuns come second at 10%, followed by Shia Hazaras at 2%, Uzbeks at 2%, and Turkmens at 1%.[22]
The native language of Herat (known as Herātī) belongs to the Khorāsānī cluster within Persian and is akin to the Persian dialects of eastern Iran, notably that of Mashhad and Iranian Khorasan. English language is understood by very small number of people in this part of Afghanistan.
[edit]Notable people from Herāt
Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī, a famous Persian poet of the 11th century
Nūr ud-Dīn Jāmī, a famous Persian Sufi poet of the 15th century
Nizām ud-Din ʿAlī Shīr Navā'ī, famous poet and politician of the Timurid era
Ustād Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, the greatest of the medieval Persian painters
Gowharšād, wife of Shāhrūkh Mīrzā
Mīrzā Shāhrūkh bin Tīmur Barlas, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt
Mīrzā Husseyn Bāyqarāh, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt
Shāh Abbās The Great, Emperor of Safavid Persia
Ahmad Shah Abdali, founder of the state of Afghanistan in 1747
Abbās Qullī Khān Shāmlū, Safavid Governor of Herat Province (1812)
Latīf Nāzemī, famous poet of modern times
Sultan Jan, ex-ruler of Herat. Ismail Khan, Governor of Herat Province.
[edit]Transport



Herat Airport, which is in the process of becoming Herat International Airport
[edit]Air
Main article: Herat Airport
Herat Airport was built by the United States in the 20th century and was used by the Soviet Armed Forces during their 1980s war with the Afghan mujahideen forces. It was bombed in late 2001 when the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom began to remove the Taliban government from power. It has been rebuilt in the last decade and is scheduled to be turned into Herat International Airport in the near future. The runway of the airport has been extended and upraded.
[edit]Rail
Further information: Rail transport in Afghanistan
In 2007, Iran and Afghanistan finalized an agreement for the establishment of a rail service between the two countries. Construction of the 191 km (119 mi) railway, from Khaf in Iran to Herāt, is in progress on the Iranian side of the border.[23] There is also the prospect of an extension across Afghanistan to Sher Khan Bandar. See railway stations in Afghanistan.
[edit]Places of interest

Neighborhoods
Shahr-e Naw (Downtown)
Welayat (Office of the governor)
Qol-Ordue (Army's HQ)
Farqa (Army's HQ)
Darwaze Khosh
Chaharsu
Pul-e rangine
Sufi-abad
New-abad
Pul-e malaan
Thakhte Safar
Howz-e-Karbas
Baramaan
Darwaze-ye Qandahar
Darwaze-ye Iraq
Darwaze Az Kordestan

Citadel of Alexander, locally called "Qal’a-e Ekhtyāruddin"

Mausoleum of Queen Goharshad from the Timurids period. Female students using the internet at Herat University
Parks
Park-e Taraki
Park-e Millat
Khane-ye Jihad Park
Monuments
Citadel of Alexander
Mosallah Complex
Herat Old Fort
Of the more than dozen minarets that once stood in Herāt, many have been toppled from war and neglect over the past century. Recently, however, everyday traffic threatens many of the remaining unique towers by shaking the very foundations they stand on. Cars and trucks that drive on a road encircling the ancient city rumble the ground every time they pass these historic structures.UNESCO personnel and Afghan authorities have been working to stabilize the Fifth Minaret.[24][25]
Museums
Herāt National Museum (currently closed, relocating to the Citadel)
Jihad Museum
Mausoleums and tombs
Mausoleum of Queen Goharshad
Mausoleum of Khwajah Abdullah Ansari
Tomb of Jami
Tomb of khaje Qaltan
Mausoleum of Mirwais Sadiq
Mosques
Masjid-e Jame (Friday Mosque of Herat)
Gazargah Sharif
Khalghe Sharif
Shah Zahdahe
Hotels
Serena Hotel (coming soon)
Diamond Hotel
Marcopolo Hotel
Stadiums
Herat Stadium
Universities
Herat University
[edit]Gallery

Images of Herāt

Shopping center

A commercial center in the city

Pol-e Mālān, a historical bridge

Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī shrine, a Sufi of the 11th century

Pillar of Mosallah Complex

Gazar Gah cemetary

Tomb of Jāmi, a poet of the 15th century

[edit]Herāt in fiction

The beginning of Khaled Hosseini's 2007 novel A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in and around Herāt. Salman Rushdie's novel The Enchantress of Florence makes frequent reference to events in Herāt in the Middle Ages.
[edit]See also

Aria (satrapy)
Geography of Afghanistan
Greater Khorasan
Herāt Province
History of Afghanistan
[edit]References

^ a b "B. Demography and Population". Afghanistan Statistical Yearbook 2006, Central Statistics Office. Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
^ For example, Rumi uses the following words to describe Herat:
گر کسی پرسد ز تو کز شهر ها خوشتر کدام
گر جواب راست خواهی گفتن او را گو: هری
اين جهان را همچو دريا دان، خراسان را صدف
در ميان اين صدف، شهر هری چون گوهری
Translation:
If someone asks you which city is the most beautiful;
Say it is "Harī," if you want to give him the correct answer;
Think of this world as a river, and Khorasan a shell;
Inside the shell, Hari is the pearl.
^ "Bomb blast hits west Afghan city". BBC News. August 3, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
^ Translated by Herbert Cushing Tolman. "The Behistan Inscription of King Darius". Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
^ The earliest recorded date of a bishop in Herat is 424. http://www.nestorian.org/location_of_nestorian_bishops.html
^ Abu Ja’far Muḥammad ibn Jarir Ṭabari, Taʾrikh al-rosul wa’l-moluk, pp. 2904-6
^ a b The heart of Asia: a history of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the earliest times By Francis Henry Skrine, Edward Denison RossEdition: illustrated Published by Routledge, 2004 Page 117 ISBN 0700710175, 9780700710171.
^ The heart of Asia: a history of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the earliest times By Francis Henry Skrine, Edward Denison RossEdition: illustrated Published by Routledge, 2004 Page 117 ISBN 0700710175, 9780700710171
^ The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Brill Publishers, Vol.3: H-Iram, 1986, Leiden, pp. 177
^ Eṣṭaḵri, pp. 263-65, tr. pp. 277-82
^ Ibn Ḥawqal, pp. 437-39, tr. pp. 424;
^ Moqaddasi (Maqdesi), Aḥsan al-taqāsim fi maʿrifat al-aqālim, ed. de Goeje, Leiden, 1906, p. 307;
^ Ḥamd-Allāh Mostawfi, Nozhat al-qolub, ed. and tr. Guy Le Strange, 2 vols., London, 1916-19, p. 151, tr., p. 150
^ Musée du Louvre, Calligraphy in Islamic Art
^ Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency By Anthony James Joes
^ "More arrests after Herat killing". London: BBC News. 2004-03-25.
^ Motlagh, Jason. "Iran's Spending Spree in Afghanistan." TIME. Wednesday May 20, 2009. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
^ "U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry Remarks at the Lease-Signing Ceremony for U.S. Consulate Herat"
^ UNDSS Provincial Profile, Afghanistan's "Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and development (MRRD)", 2009
^ H. Schurmann, The Mongols of Afghanistan: an Ethnography of the Moghols and Related Peoples of Afghanistan. The Hague: Mouton, 1962: Jstor.org; p. 75: "... the Tajiks of Western Afghanistan [are] roughly the same as the Khûrâsânî Persians on the other side of the line ..."
^ Afghanistan's Provinces– Herat at NPS.edu
^ "2003 National Geographic Population Map" (PDF). National Geographic Society. 2003. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
^ Opening up Afghan trade route to Iran. Railway Gazette International 2008-01-29
^ Bendeich, Mark (June 25, 2007). "Cars, Not War, Threaten Afghan Minarets". Islam Online. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
^ Podelco, Grant (July 18, 2005). "Afghanistan: Race To Preserve Historic Minarets of Herat, Jam". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2009-09-24. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.
[edit]External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Herat
Heratonline.com: Information and news about Herāt
Herat.co.uk
Detailed map of Herāt city
Map of Herāt and surroundings in 1942, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas, Austin
Explore Herat with Google Earth on Global Heritage Network
A satellite view map of Herāt. Herat a leading city in Afghanistan
Photo Gallery of Herat
Poyaa.com - Local News From Herāt
Three Women of Herat: A Memoir of life, Love and Friendship in Afghanistan" by Veronica Doubleday
Ethnomusicological Research in Afghanistan: