Herat, Western Afghanistan

Herat, once an important stop along the ancient Silk Road and the capital of the Timurid Empire in the fourteenth century, has some of the best Islamic architecture in the world. Sadly, however, after more than twenty years of civil war, much has been lost. The splendid Masjid-e-Jami, or Friday Mosque, in the centre of the city, had been restored recently.

There was an Emirate of Herat from 1818 to 1842, ruled over by Emir Mahmud (until his death in 1829) and his son Kamran until 1842 when he was assassinated by his Vizier Yar Muhammad Khan. The city was taken by the Persians, who had held it during most of the sixteenth and seventeenth century and to this day the language here is Dari, a Persian dialect.

Herat was a very pleasant place to visit in the seventies, when it was the first stop on the overland route to the east, coming from Iran. It was a relatively green oasis in an otherwise barren landscape, easygoing and friendly, with cheap places to stay for the overland travellers along Shah-e-Nao, the main street in the old city. Food was mainly kebab and rice, quite adequate to live on. Will those days ever return?

	The "Gandi" carriage	Father and son	Camel transport	Tiles, Masjid-e-Jami
	Masjid-e-Jami	Mosaic, Masjid-e-Jami	Street corner	Shoeing a horse
	Herat shops	Herat sidewalk	Wood workshop	Camels in Herat

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