Mazar-e- Sharif

• Mazar-i-Sharīf ; is the fourth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with an estimated 500,207 residents in 2021 It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez, Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km (34 mi) from the Uzbek border. The city is also a tourist attraction because of its famous shrines as well as the Islamic and Hellenistic archeological sites. The ancient city of Balkh is also nearby.

The region around Mazar-i-Sharif has been historically part of Greater Khorasan and was controlled by the Tahirids followed by the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Ilkhanates, Timurids, and Khanate of Bukhara until 1751 when it became part of the Durrani Empire (although under autonomous emirs). Eventually the city passed to a few local rulers before becoming part of Afghanistan in 1849.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the regional hub of northern Afghanistan, located in close proximity to both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It is also home to an international airport. It has the highest percentage of built-up land (91%) of all the Afghan provincial capitals, and it has additional built-up area extending beyond the municipal boundary but forming a part of the larger urban area. It is also the lowest-lying major city in the country, about 357 metres (1,171 ft) above sea level. The city was spared the devastation that occurred in the country's other large cities during the Soviet–Afghan War and subsequent civil war, and was long regarded as one of the safest cities in the country

Airports

• Mazar-i-Sharif Airport – serves the population of Balkh Province.  It is being expanded to become the 4th international airport in Afghanistan
• Mosques
  • Shrine of Ali
• Parks and monuments
  • Park-e-Ariana
  • Maulana Jalaludin Cultural Park
  • Tashkurgan Palace
  • Governors Palace
  • Mazar-i-Sharif Gate
  • Khalid Ibn-al Walid Park
• Universities
  • Balkh University
  • Aria University
  • Sadat University
  • Mawlana University
  • Taj University
  • Turkistan University
  • Rah-e-Saadat University