Balkh



Balkh is a town in Afghanistan.

Understand
Balkh has been inhabited since before 1000 BCE, and is mentioned in the Hindu Vedas. It was the capital of the historic region of Bactria, even before the arrival of Alexander the Great, and of a Greco-Bactrian kingdom ruled by some of Alexander's successors. It was sacked twice by the Mongols, first by Ghengis Khan and later by Tamerlane. Both of the great medieval travellers, Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, visited it.

The city was the regional capital until the 19th century when it was mostly abandoned during an epidemic and Mazar-e Sharif took over. Today Mazar is the largest and most important city of the region.

Talk
Both of Afghanistan's main languages, Dari and Pashto, are spoken here, but Dari is more common in this region. Other languages such as Tajik and Uzbek are also heard. Because it is a border region, some people will speak Russian.

Compared to the rest of the country, many citizens of Balkh can speak English. There are English schools/lessons and computer courses are also taught (such as Microsoft Office programs). A traveller will be hard pressed not to run into one of the teachers and be invited into their home. The young students are shy about using their English.

Get in
Balkh is easily reachable from Mazar-e Sharif by shared taxi for about 20 afghani. Look for the passengers sitting in the open boot of some cars. The road passes through a fort with destroyed tanks and APCs; the fort was probably a road block during the Warlord and Taliban period. The landscape before and around the town is fields. South of the town at the turnoff is a large mound that was probably a watchtower.

See
The town is completely enclosed by its ancient fortifications; brick and mud walls at least 30 feet high and in good condition. They can be climbed, giving views of the countryside and the town. At the north end is another larger mound that was the fortress. The walls slope on the outside and are vertical on the inside, giving an impression from the inside of being very tall. Turrets along the walls are in varying states of decay, providing glimpses of building techniques.

The town has a central park, where children play soccer or volleyball. At one end are the ruins of a tiled mosque; at the other, the gate of a madrassa. Again the construction technique of the madrassa can be seen. As the park is full of trees and small shops surround the park, it is difficult to take photos of the madrassa. Full shots of the mosque are easy.