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Mazar-e Sharif,
town, northern Afghanistan, 35 miles (56 km) south of the border with
Uzbekistan, at an elevation of 1,250 feet (380 m). The town derives
its name (meaning "tomb of the saint") from the reputed
discovery there of the tomb of the caliph 'Ali, son-in-law of
the Prophet Muhammad, in the 15th or (according to Afghan legend)
12th century. A blue-tiled mosque and a shrine mark the location of
the tomb, which is venerated by all Muslims, especially the Shi'ites.
Mazar-e Sharif's growth and the corresponding decline of the much
older town of Balkh, a few miles to the west, date from this
discovery. Mazar-e Sharif came under Afghan rule in 1852 and became
the political hub of Afghan Turkistan in 1869. After their military
intervention in 1979, Soviet forces established a military command
in the town and in 1981 began construction of a new road and rail
bridge across the Amu Darya north of Mazar-e Sharif near Termiz, Uzbekistan.
Mazar-e Sharif is located in one of Afghanistan's most fertile
regions, extensively irrigated by the Balkh River and producing
cotton, grain, and fruit. The town's industries include flour milling
and the manufacturing of silk and cotton textiles. It is connected
by road and air with Kabul, 200 miles (320 km) southeast, and other
Afghan cities and is the nation's chief transit point for Soviet
trade. A well-known Islamic theology school is located there. Nearby
is Dehdadi, a military headquarters with an airfield. The inhabitants
of Mazar-e Sharif are mainly Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Turkmens. Pop.
(1988 est.) 130,600 |
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