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| Mazar-e Sharif | ||
| province | Balkh | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 427.600 (2017) | |
| height | 380 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Mazar-e-Sharif (Colloquially mostly short Mazar called) is a city in the northern afghan province Balkh, ancient Bactria. The city whose name comes from Persian and Tomb of the saint means, was originally a suburb of the city Balkh (pronounced Balch). According to legend, the first Imam of all Shiites, Ali ibn Abi Talib, is buried here.
background
The entire center of the village is formed by the area around the shrine with its park. Practically all touristic important points can be found in the immediate vicinity, or a maximum of one kilometer away, along the main roads leading away:
- To the west Masud St. (formerly Darzawa-ye Tashkurkan) to the bus station, after Balkh and Hairatan (Uzbek border).
- North Kheyaban-e Nasir Khiraw to the food bazaar and hospital.
getting there
From Kabul you can choose the overland route (approx. 420 km / approx. 8 hours driving time) by private car, taxi or bus to MeS or reach Mazar directly by plane. However, domestic flights are quite unreliable on schedule.
By plane
Mazar-e-Sharif has its own airport (MZR; 36 ° 42'24.8 "N, 67 ° 12'32.7" E). This is divided into a civil and military part. The are directly connected Camp Marmal, the largest military camp outside of the Federal Republic of Germany and the end point of the freight-only railway line to Uzbekistan.
The airport was approached in 2014 by Afghan Jet International,Safi Airways[1] and Came Air[2] from Kabul, Iran Aseman Airlines of Mashad as Turkish Airlines of Istanbul.
From the airport to the city you have to use a taxi for lack of an alternative (approx. $ 4, negotiate hard).
By bus
In the street east of the shrine, some agencies only sell bus tickets to Kabul. To other destinations you have to take a taxi (max. 200 Afg. In the city center) to the new "bus station" a good five kilometers away on the western arterial road. Only a few buses to Kabul (bookable at the beginning of the street leading east from the shrine) leave the city center.
In the street
You can only reach MeS from Kabul via a single, approx. 420 km long road that leads over the Salang Pass, which is about 4,000 m high. The pass is therefore not free of snow even in midsummer. Snow chains are essential. 180 km of the route is a new construction from the last few years. A specialty of Afghan roads are often about 20 cm high bumps, which are mostly built at checkpoints and are NOT indicated by a sign.
From the Uzbek border at Hairatan you can get to the city center by shared taxi (US $ 5 p.p. or 20 for the whole car; tough negotiation) in about an hour. For the border station see: Termiz: From / to Afghanistan.
To Kunduz you can get there for 500 Afg by shared taxi from the bus station.
A good twenty kilometers before Mazar is a checkpoint where the passports of foreigners can be checked.
mobility
The MeS traffic infrastructure is very one-sided and is limited to (ancient and small) public buses and taxis. If you are a foreigner who wants to travel through the city or outside, it is best to use the taxi. In the city there are several hundred taxis of various quality that will take you anywhere. The price is to be negotiated when you set off and is around one dollar within the city. Attention: Foreigners are often given a "surcharge".
Tourist Attractions
Mosques
- Blue Mosque. The blue mosque, which is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world and, according to legend, is the resting place of Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, who is honored by Sunnis, Shiites and Alevis. The surrounding park is the center and quiet zone of the city. Unbelievers are undesirable inside. This shrine, which will be greatly expanded in the west in 2014/15, has been extensively renovated in recent years. The park is a gathering point for the city's comparatively unobtrusive beggars.
Apart from the grotesquely fortified German consulate, Mazar has no other sights to offer.
shop
The entire area surrounding the shrine forms the city's bazaar for several hundred meters. Clothing and fresh food a little further away can be found in the north / east, carpets in the west.
nightlife
The place dies before 8 p.m., after which it can be problematic to get a taxi in the outskirts.
accommodation
Cheap
- Opposite the south gate of the shrine (the house with 7D Cinema). Both because of the surrounding bazaar noisy from early in the morning.
- Aamo Hotel, on the first floor, entrance next to two roast chicken. Negotiable for US $ 10.
- Aria Hotel, 2nd house on the main road to the south. Demand US $ 20, negotiable at 500 Afg / night. No showers, local style toilets on the aisle kept clean. Fan and TV in the room.
- Directly at the taxi stand opposite. the west exit, an accommodation only marked with "Hotel" and "Guest House".
medium
Upscale
- Quishlag Compound, THE QISHLAQ COMPOUND, AIRPORT, CAMP MARMUL ROAD (near the airport). Tel.: 93 728525252, Email: [email protected]. Modern hotel with upscale facilities.
health
Medical care is not at the Western European level. In addition to the public Balkh Hospital, there are numerous private practices and so-called clinics. Medicines are supplied via Pakistan and India. A certain degree of caution is required here, as there are numerous counterfeit drugs in circulation. ISAF operates a field hospital in Camp Marmal.
Refurbished with German, Swedish and Japanese taxpayers' money until 2011 is the Balkh Provincial Hospital in the Kheyaban-e Nasir Khiraw a good 800 m ndl. of the shrine.
Practical advice
The fortress-like German consulate is located[3] at the Darwaz-e-Balkh, formerly the site of the Mazar Hotels. No legal or consular duties performed - only emergency aid. No visas are issued. Administrative district: Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e-Pol, Jowzjan and Faryab provinces. Tel. (0093 50) 204 71 41.
Various neighboring countries, among others Russia, Turkey and near them Pakistan (Nahia No.04, Baba Yadgar Road), Uzbekistan (Darvozai Tashkurgan St., 3), India, Tajikistan as Turkmenistan, are represented on site by consular offices.
There is very good coverage with GSM networks in the urban area and the surrounding area. SIM cards are available from numerous hawkers in the bazaar.
The im communication center vs. located in the north-west corner of the shrine, not very trustworthy Central Post Office consists of a counter and some wooden mailboxes. The zip code is 1701.
- This is a cozy and well-equipped internet cafe with an emergency generator and laptops City Net Cafe, Kheyaban-e Nasir Khiraw (a bit hidden in the basement of the shopping center in front of the first roundabout on the main street leading from the shrine; approx. 80 m opposite the entrance of the Balkh Hospital). Tel.: 93 799262636, Email: [email protected]. Price: 50-60 Afg / h, printout 10 Afg.
trips
To the historical one, 25 km away Balkh, with its ruins.
literature
Web links
- An official website is not known. Please open Wikidata add.
- ↑May 2014 timetable,http://www.safiairways.com/schedule
- ↑Came air schedule, May 2014, https://www.kamair.com/schedule.php
- ↑Officially opened in 2013