THE WORLD AT ITS BEST

Best of AFGHANISTAN

Let us look at the places, tourists spots and famous landmarks around the world where, maybe you can have time to look at it when you have the chance to visit them. They said, take a picture it will last long. I was there when I was just 12, I didn't have really much to say but I'm trying to. So, let me list down the places you might like to visit in the future. Let's start with our letter A on the list.

An officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. There's lots of places you may choose when you arrive at the heart of Afghanistan. Tourists sites, famous landmarks and even famous graveyards of the past sultan (King) and even famous tombs.

1. Shrine of Ali, the Blue Mosque which was the first shrine built by a Seljuq Dynasty sultan, Ahmed Sanjar. But it was destroyed or hidden under earthen embankment during the invasion of in around 1220. In the 15th century, Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqarah built the current Blue Mosque here. It is by far the most important landmark in Mazar-i-Sharif and it is believed that the name of city (Noble Shrine, Grave of Sharif) originates from this shrine.

2. The Garden of Babur (locally called Bagh-e Babur, باغ بابر) is a historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also the last resting-place of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The garden are thought to have been developed around 1528 AD (935 AH) when Babur gave orders for the construction of an 'avenue garden' in Kabul, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama. The Garden of Babur was also included in the UNESCO world heritage sites around the world.

3. Herat (/hɛˈrɑːt/; Persian: هرات‎, Herât; Pashto: هرات‎; Ancient Greek: Ἀλεξάνδρεια ἡ ἐν Ἀρίοις, Alexándreia hē en Aríois; Latin: Alexandria Ariorum) is the third-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 436,300, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated in the fertile valley of the Hari River. It is linked with Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif via Highway 1 or the ring road. It is further linked to the city of Mashhad in neighboring Iran through the border town of Islam Qala, and to Turkmenistan through the border town of Torghundi, both about 100 km (62 mi) away.

Herat dates back to the Avestan times and was traditionally known for its wine. The city has a number of historic sites, including the Herat Citadel and the Musallah Complex. During the Middle Ages Herat became one of the important cities of Khorasan, as it was known as the Pearl of Khorasan. It has been governed by various Afghan rulers since the early 18th century. In 1717, the city was invaded by the Hotaki forces until they were expelled by the Afsharids in 1729. After Nader Shah's death and Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power in 1747, Herat became part of Afghanistan. It witnessed some political disturbances and military invasions during the early half of the 19th century but the 1857 Treaty of Paris ended hostilities of the Anglo-Persian War.

Herat lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and today is a regional hub in western Afghanistan. The roads from Herat to Iran, Turkmenistan, and other parts of Afghanistan are still strategically important. As the gateway to Iran, it collects high amount of customs revenue for Afghanistan. It also has an international airport. The city has high residential density clustered around the core of the city. However, vacant plots account for a higher percentage of the city (21%) than residential land use (18%) and agricultural is the largest percentage of total land use (36%). Today the city is considered to be relatively safe.

4. And the last in our list is the very beautiful Band-e Amir National Park (Persian: بند امیر‎) is Afghanistan's first national park, located in the Bamyan Province. It is a series of six deep blue lakes separated by natural dams made of travertine, a mineral deposit. The lakes are situated in the Hindu Kush mountains of central Afghanistan at approximately 3000 m of elevation, west of the famous Buddhas of Bamiyan.

They were created by the carbon dioxide rich water oozing out of the faults and fractures to deposit calcium carbonate precipitate in the form of travertine walls that today store the water of these lakes. Band-e Amir is one of the few rare natural lakes in the world which are created by travertine systems. The site of Band-e Amir has been described as Afghanistan's Grand Canyon, and draws thousands of tourists a year. The river is part of the system of the Balkh River.

A/N: Credit to the owners of the pictures above.