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Citadel Of Herat, Afghanistan

Herat is a city in western Afghanistan, in the valley of the Hari Rud river in the province also known as Herat, and was traditionally known for wine. The residents are mainly Tajiks (Persian) and Pashtuns.

This is in an ancient city with many historic buildings, although these have suffered damage in various military conflicts during the last few decades. The buildings are generally constructed of mud brick. The city is dominated by the remains of a citadel, constructed under the rule of Alexander of Macedon.

The city had a constructive position on the trade routes between Persia, India, China and Europe. The roads from Herat to Turkmenistan and Iran are still strategically important. Herat is probably a descendant of the ancient Persian town of Artacoana, established before 500 BC. It may also have been known as Aria.

On July 2001, It was captured by Alexander in 330 BC during his war against the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The town was rebuilt and the citadel was constructed. It was part of the Seleucid Empire but was captured by others on various occasions and became part of the Parthian Empire in 167 BC.

• It became a seat of Christianity, with a Nestorian bishop Around 300.
• It became part of the Hephthalite Empire Around 484.
• It was part of the Abbasid caliphate Around 786-809.
• In a while, it was ruled by the Tahirid dynasty.
• The Saffarid dynasty took control After 867-869.

It was ruled by the Ghaznavids Before 1040,. In 1040 it was captured by the Seljuk Empire. In 1175 it was captured by the Ghorids and then came under the Khawarazm Empire. In this period Herat became an important center for the production of metal goods, especially in bronze, often decorated with elaborate inlays in precious metals. In 1221 it was captured by the Mongols and later destroyed by Genghis Khan. In 1245 it was given to the Kart Maliks.

It was destroyed again by Timur Around 1381. Under his son Shah Rukh it was rebuilt and became an important center under the Timurid Empire. In the late 1400s the Musallah complex (with many minarets) was built under the rule of Queen Gawharshad. Her tomb complex is considered one of the great monuments of Timurid architectural carving.

Herat was used by the Soviets during the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. 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 Herat under the control of Ismail Khan mutinied and 350 Soviet citizens were killed. The Soviets bombed the city, causing massive destruction and thousands of deaths and it was recaptured with tanks and paratroopers.

After the departure of the Soviets, Ismail Khan became a Mujahedin commander and he became governor of Herat. In 1995 the city was captured by the Taliban. On 12 November 2001 it was captured by the Afghan Northern Alliance and Ismail Khan returned to power in the region. In 2004 it was the site of the ambush and killing of Mirwais Sadeq, the Aviation Minister for the country. More than 200 people were immediately arrested, on suspicion of involvement.