Balkh
Sign in to saveBalkh is a city in northern Afghanistan, with an estimated population of 148,972 people. It is within the jurisdiction of Balkh District and its current mayor is Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Fazal Subhan. Located approximately to the northwest of Mazar-i-Sharif and approximately to the south of the Amu Darya or the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border, it is the second largest city of Balkh Province.
AI overview
Balkh is a city in northern Afghanistan with a population of about 149,000 people, located south of the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan border and northwest of Mazar-i-Sharif. It is the second largest city in Balkh Province and is governed by Mayor Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Fazal Subhan.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Settlement.name
- Balkh
- Settlement.native_name_lang
- prs
- Settlement.other_name
- Bactra
- Settlement.settlement_type
- City
- Settlement.image_skyline
- Green_Mosque,_Balkh.jpg
- Settlement.imagesize
- 240px
- Settlement.image_caption
- Ruins of the Green Mosque of Balkh, 2018
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Afghanistan
- Settlement.pushpin_relief
- yes
- Settlement.pushpin_label_position
- bottom
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location in Afghanistan
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
Article
26 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Ancient Bactrian religion
- Zoroastrianism and Buddhism
- Judaism
- Arab conquests and Islamization
- Iranic and Turkic dynasties
- Mongol conquest and destruction
- 16th to 19th centuries
- 20th and 21st centuries
- Archaeological sites
- Ancient Buddhist
- Medieval Islamic
- Displays at the Balkh Museum
- Demographics
- Notable people
- Poets
- Scientists
- Politicians
- Monarchs
- Religious figures
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Balkh is a city in northern Afghanistan, with an estimated population of 148,972 people. It is within the jurisdiction of Balkh District and its current mayor is Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Fazal Subhan. Located approximately to the northwest of Mazar-i-Sharif and approximately to the south of the Amu Darya or the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border, it is the second largest city of Balkh Province.
Historically, the site of present-day Balkh was held in considerably high regard due to its religious and political significance in Ariana. A hub of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, the ancient city was also known to the Persians as Zariaspa and to the Greeks as Bactra, giving its name to Bactria. As such, it was famously known as the capital of Bactria or Tokharistan. The Italian explorer and writer Marco Polo described Balkh as "a noble city and a great seat of learning" prior to the Mongol conquests. Most of the town now consists of ruined buildings, situated some from the right bank of the seasonally flowing Balkh River, at an elevation of about .