Mazar-i-Sharif

Mazar-i-Sharif is a city in northern Afghanistan and the capital of Balkh Province, with an estimated population of 568,013 as of 2025, the fourth largest city in the country. Long fought over by the Achaemenids, Seleucids, Greco-Bactrians, Kushans and Sasanians before falling to Islamic conquest in 651, it takes its name, meaning Noble Shrine, from the Blue Mosque built around the reputed tomb of Ali, which draws pilgrims from across the Islamic world; it developed into a major trading hub hosting consulates from eight neighboring countries and Balkh University, and was captured by the Taliban in August 2021 during their return to power.