Herat
Herat is a city in Western Afghanistan, the capital of Herat Province. It has a long cultural history as a gateway between Persian and Turkic culture, bordering on Iran and Turkmenistan. In 2008, its Old City was recognized by UNESCO as [1] It has suffered much damage in the wars of Afghanistan.
First settled approximately 5,000 years ago, it was an established city when Alexander the Great came in the 3rd century BCE. Herodotus called it the "breadbasket of Asia." Later, it was the main city of the Persian kingdom of Khorasan.
Later it became the greatest of the cities of the ancient Persian kingdom of Khorasan.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, under the Timurids dynasty, it became known as the "Florence of Asia". [2]
Contemporary
In Afghan politics, it is still strongly associated with Ismail Khan, who was removed as governor, by President Karzai, in 2004. It was one of the centers of the Northern Alliance in the war against the Taliban.
References
- ↑ United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (November 28, 2008), The Herat Old City wins the Award of Excellence in the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage
- ↑ "Herat, the 'pearl' of Afghanistan", BBC News, November 12, 2001