Talk:Mazar-e Sharif

Name
I think this belongs at Mazar-i-Sharif, which is the name I saw when I visited Af decades ago and is used on the UN list at World cities. Mazar-e-Sharif would be fine by me too, but the current one-hyphen version seems odd. Pashley (talk) 16:21, 4 January 2014 (UTC)


 * I asked a Persian friend. He suggests Mazar-e-Sharif but says in casual conversation most Persians would not pronounce the 'e'. Pashley (talk) 16:33, 4 January 2014 (UTC)
 * I know both Persian and Pashto a little and as far I can tell "e" is definitely used widely in both languages. If one-hyphen version seems odd, move it to "Mazar-e-Sharīf" otherwise "Mazar-i-Sharif" is fine too. --Saqib (talk) 18:36, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Qaila Jangi
That article is tagged for merging here, but given that it is a military installation in a country that is more-or-less at war, I question whether we should mention it. Wouldn't that violate both common sense and Illegal activities policy?

At most, I'd like to see about two lines saying it is nearby but visiting is impossible without a translator and risky in any case. Pashley (talk) 17:51, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
 * I was wondering that myself. I know nothing about the place, but in a country in such strife, I'm not sure we should recommend visiting a military installation that we admit they are not keen for tourists to visit. Texugo (talk) 18:23, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Ali's shrine?
Mazar-e_Sharif has:
 * the shine marks the burial site of Ali bin Talib, the Prophet Mohammad's cousin and the fourth caliph of Islam.

Ali has:
 * Most Shias accept that Ali is buried at the Tomb of Imam Ali in the Imam Ali Mosque at what is now the city of Najaf, which grew around the mosque and shrine called Masjid Ali. However another story, usually maintained by some Afghans, notes that his body was taken and buried in the Afghan city of Mazar-E-Sharif at the famous Blue Mosque or Rawze-e-Sharif.

Also, Ali was the Prohpet's son-in-law as well as cousin and I think the Shi'a count him as Mohammad's direct successor, the first Imam, as well as 4th Caliph.

Should our text be reworded? How? I think so but am reluctant to try fixing it myself, partly because I don't know enough and partly because the Sunni/Shi'a split, in which Ali played a central role, is a very sensitive topic. Pashley (talk) 23:37, 23 August 2015 (UTC)


 * I see now that the beginning of the Understand section covers the Najaf/Mazar issue. Pashley (talk) 23:44, 23 August 2015 (UTC)