information about Mazar e Sharif is the capital of Balkh province with existence of multi-ethnic groups such as Uzbeks, Turkmen, Tajiks and Hazaras. In literary Mazar-e-sharif means ‘Respected Shrine’ but the city is known by tourists as city of the blue mosque which is located in the center of the city known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. It’s believed and respected by Muslims that inside of the tomb, Hazrat Ali Ebn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Muslim’s Prophet Mohammad (Peace Blessing Upon Him) is buried. People goes there all the time but mostly hundreds of people get together on the first day of the new year from all over the country as well as from the neighbor countries to celebrate the first day of the new year by praying to God for happiness, peace and prosperity throughout the year. The city is linked by road to Kabul province in the south-east, Herat to the west and Uzbekistan to the north. The city is a major tourist attraction because of its famous Muslim and Hellenistic archeological sites. The spoken language in Marzar e Sharif is mostly Dari, Uzbaki and Turkmani. According to tradition, Mazar-e-Sharif city owes its existence to a dream. At the beginning of the 1100s, a local mullah (Religious Guide) had a dream that Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib, Our prophets cousin and son-in-law as well as one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs appeared to reveal that he had been secretly buried near the city of Balkh. After the research and investigation, the Sultan Sanjar Seljuki which he was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153 and the ruler of most of Persia (Parsyaan) with his capital at Nishapur ordered to build a shrine on the spot, where it stood until now.It’s worth to mention that the actual grave or shrine of Hazrat Ali is in Najaf Iraq next to Kufa where he was martyred. During the Soviet invasion, Mazar-i-Sharif city was a strategic base for the Soviet Army, as they used its airport to launch air strikes on Afghan Mujahideen in late 1980s. In the early 1990s, after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, control of Mazar was contested by the Tajik militias as (Jameyat-e Islami) or Islamic United by Ahmad Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, and the Uzbek militia (Junbesh-e Melli) or National Movement which was led by Abdul Rashid Dostum. By that time, the city was under the control and command of Dostum, who revolted against Dr. Najibullahs regime in 1992 and established the autonomous administration of North Afghanistan with the aid and support of Ahmad Shah Massoud. From early 1990s to 1997 they city was a peaceful city under Dostum’s control or by Junbesh-e-Melli (National Movement militias, as the rest of the country was taken over by the Taliban. During that time Dostum strengthened strong political ties with central Asia such as Uzbekistan and Turkey and he has printed his own Afghan currency as well as establishment of his own airline. f. ayubi :)
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:04:03 +0000
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