Afghan 04: Mazar-e Sharif Saidina Ali Blue Mosque and Shrine...

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him..." - David Brinkley

(Makam Saidina Ali)

Day 04: 07 October 2024 (Monday)
Route: KABUL / MAZAR-E SHARIF
Flight: RQ141 KBL 1000 MZR 1100 Ariana Afghan Air
Hotel: Samir Walid Guesthouse, Mazar-e Sharif

Breakfast was at the 5th floor of Khyber Hotel. We had Afghan bread with hard boiled eggs, honeyed cream cheese, salad, followed by double shot coffee. After breakfast we loaded our baggage in two cars and headed for Barbur Gardens to while away time before our flight to Mazar-e Sharif.

 

(Early morning traffic in Kabul)

(Afghan men hurrying to work)

(Afghan roadside stalls selling drinks and snacks)

(The bazaar is opened as early as sunrise)

Barbur Gardens was created by the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Ziihir ad-Din Muhammad Biibur, after his conquest of Kabul in 1504. This Bagh-e Babur is possibly one of the earliest surviving 16th Century Mughal gardens. It is also the site of Biibur's tomb. These gardens are the loveliest spot in Kabul.

(Not many visitors in the early morning)

(The Caravanserai lined with Souvenir Shops)

(The colour of Autumn in the garden)

(Wild berries and vibrant blooms)

(The Garden Pavilion used to entertain royal guests)

(The Shah Jahan Mosque made of white marble)

(Babur's lattice grave enclosure) 

The garden was laid out as a series of 15 stepped terraces on a hillside in southwest Kabul. Its axis points toward Mecca. Babur’s grave is located on the fourteenth terrace and was originally surrounded by a screen of white marble. Although the screen was destroyed by warfare and vandalism in the 20th century, it was rebuilt by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Southwest of the grave, on the next lower terrace, Shah Jahan built a small mosque in 1645-46. He also rebuilt the water channels that flow through the central axis of the garden, and added a caravanserai marketplace at the base of the garden. On the fifteenth level he buried Babur’s grand-daughter, Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, in a tomb with a marble jali screen. 

(A tame cat in Babur Garden)

(The Haremserai, the Royal Residence)

(A beautiful neat garden of the Haremserai)

(A panoramic view from the terrace)

Lunch was at a Kabuli Palao restaurant before we headed to the Kabul Airport for our domestic flight on Ariana Afghan Airline to Mazar-e Sharif.

(Kabuli Mutton Palao)

Security at the airport was quite strict. Our bag was randomly isolated and checked thoroughly. Once we had our boarding passes, we performed our prayers at the airport prayer room before we departed to Mazar-e Sharif. Arrived safely in Mazar-e Sharif at 11.00 am.

(Heavy rainfall in Kabul before our departure)

(The Ariana Afghan Airline flight was full with Umrah pilgrims)

(Ready to board the 11.00 am flight)

Mazar-e Sharif or just Mazar is the capital of Balkh Province. It has a population of nearly 300,000 people. Mazar-e Sharif is the 4th largest city in Afghanistan. It was founded in the 12th century after a local mullah dreamt of the secret site where Ali bin Talib, the Prophet's cousin and the fourth caliph of Islam, had been buried. A shrine, which was later rebuilt as the Blue Mosque, was constructed on the site and the town of Mazar grew around it. Outside of Afghanistan, most Muslims believe that Saidina Ali is buried in Najaf, Iraq which hubby and I had visited in December 2023.

(Barren land contribute more than half of Afghanistan geographical area)

(A lone airplane on the run-way at Mazar-e Sharif Airport)

(Mazar-e Sharif International Airport)

(A long walk to the parking area)

(The airport is funded by Germany and UAE)

The town, however, continued to live in the shadow of its larger neighbor, Balkh, until that city was abandoned due to disease in the mid 19th century. As a result, Mazar assumed the role of the capital of the region - a position it has maintained ever since.

(A common scene in town)

We would be visiting the Saidina Ali Blue Mosque and Shrine after our trip to Balkh tomorrow. The Afghans belief that the Shrine of Saidina Ali is located here. The Blue Mosque has been described as an oasis for peace, and it really does seem like it, considering the thousands of white doves surrounding the mosque. The doves flock on the trees, the roof, and the sidewalks. Legend has it the mosque is so sacred that any dove with a speck of color on its feathers will instantly become pure white after entering the mosque’s vicinity.

(Saidina Ali Shrine and the Blue Mosque)

(Front and back view of Saidina Ali shrine)

According to legend, a Middle Eastern mullah had a dream that Ali bin Abi Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the prophet Muhammad, had his bones resting in what is now northwestern Afghanistan. Captivated by his story, Ahmad Sanjar, who was the Sultan of the Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1157, constructed the Shrine of Ali in northwestern Afghanistan. He even constructed a city around the shrine, called Mazar-e Sharif, to which thousands of religious Muslims migrated.

(The tomb under the central dome)

Unfortunately, a century after the shrine was built, Genghis Khan made his westward push. When he reached Mazar-e Sharif, Khan completely destroyed the shrine. But it wasn’t gone for long. In 1481, Sultan Husayn Mizra rebuilt the Shrine of Ali in an even grander fashion, in the form of a giant blue mosque which still exists to this day.

(With friendly Afghans at Saidina Ali Mosque)

(With my Afghan partner)

(White doves at the Shrine of Saidina Ali Blue Mosque)

We went out for dinner of mutton shaslik and bread at Bilal restaurant. After dinner we walked to the Local Bazaar situated at the north side of the park surrounding the Blue Mosque. It is the main bazaar of this northern Afghan city. It's a chaotic, noisy, busy, and utterly interesting marketplace, with stalls selling almost anything imaginable. Wherever we go we were surrounded by local on-lookers and small kids begging for money or sweets.

(Savory mutton shaslik)

After buying fruits and perfume we went back to our hotel by tuk-tuk. Samir Walid Guesthouse, was our accommodations for the next two nights.

(Samir Walid Guest House)

(A map on the wall - The districts in Afghanistan)

👈Afghan 03: The forgotten chapter of a Hippie Trail in Kabul...

     Afghan 05: Balkh, a hub of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism...👉