Mazar-e Sharif in the context of "Afghan Turkestan"

⭐ In the context of Afghan Turkestan, Mazar-e Sharif functioned primarily as…

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⭐ Core Definition: Mazar-e Sharif

Mazar-i-Sharīf, also known as Mazar-e Sharif or simply Mazar, is the fifth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with the estimates varying from 500,000-680,000. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez, Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km (34 mi) from the Uzbek border. The city is also a tourist attraction because of its famous shrines as well as the Islamic and Hellenistic archeological sites. The ancient city of Balkh is also nearby.

The region around Mazar-i-Sharif has been historically part of Greater Khorasan and was controlled by the Tahirids followed by the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids (GhaderDiwane), Ilkhanids, Timurids, and Khanate of Bukhara until 1751 when it became part of the Durrani Empire (although under autonomous emirs). Eventually the city passed to a few local rulers before becoming part of Afghanistan in 1849.

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👉 Mazar-e Sharif in the context of Afghan Turkestan

Afghan Turkestan is a region in northern Afghanistan, on the border with the former Soviet republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. In the 19th century, there was a province in Afghanistan named Turkestan with Mazar-e Sharif as provincial capital. The province incorporated the territories of the present-day provinces of Balkh, Kunduz, Jowzjan, Sar-e Pol, and Faryab. In 1890, Qataghan-Badakhshan Province was separated from Turkestan Province. It was later abolished by Abdur Rahman.

The whole territory of Afghan Turkestan, from the junction of the Kokcha river with the Amu Darya on the north-east to the province of Herat on the south-west, was some 800 kilometres (500 mi) in length, with an average width from the Russian frontier to the Hindu Kush of 183 km (114 mi). It thus comprised about 147,000 km (57,000 sq mi) or roughly two-ninths of the former Kingdom of Afghanistan.

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Mazar-e Sharif in the context of Second Anglo-Afghan War

The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Pashto: د افغان او انگرېز دويم جنگ; Persian: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires.

The war was split into two campaigns – the first began in November 1878 with the British invasion of Afghanistan from India. Sher Ali Khan opted to leave Kabul in order to seek political and military aid from the Russian Empire, and died in Mazar-e Sharif trying to reach the Russian border, leaving the throne to his son Mohammad Yaqub Khan. Ali's successor Yaqub immediately sued for peace and the Treaty of Gandamak was then signed on 26 May 1879. The British sent an envoy and mission led by Sir Louis Cavagnari to Kabul, but on 3 September this mission was massacred and the conflict was reignited by Ayub Khan which led to the abdication of his brother Yaqub.

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Mazar-e Sharif in the context of Balkh River

The Balkh River (Persian: دریای بلخاب; Pashto: د بلخ سیند) or Balkhab, also known in its upper reaches as the Band-e Amir River, is a river in northern Afghanistan.

The river rises in the Band-e Amir lakes in Bamyan Province in the Hindu Kush. The river flows west, then north, and terminates in irrigation canals in the area of the cities of Balkh and Mazar-e Sharif or in the desert. In times of exceptional flood the river drains into the lowlands of Turkmenistan. In ancient times the river terminated in a delta at the Amu Darya, but has not reached that river since irrigation canals were developed centuries ago.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Afghan Turkestan ← Second Anglo-Afghan War ← Balkh River
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
List of cities in Afghanistan → Afghanistan → Balkh province → Kunduz → Kabul → Herat → Termez → Uzbekistan → Islamic architecture → Hellenistic period → Balkh → Greater Khorasan → Tahirid dynasty → Saffarid dynasty → Samanid Empire → Ghaznavids → Ghurid dynasty → Ilkhanids → Timurid dynasty → Khanate of Bukhara → Durrani Empire →