.: Herat - City of Afghanistan_Part

Modern history
From 1725 to 1736 Herat was controlled by the Hotaki Pashtuns until King Nader Shah's of Persia retook the city and destroyed the Hotakis for good. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of the city and became part of the Durrani Empire. Ahmad Shah Durrani's father, Zaman Khan, was the governor of Herat province before the Ghilzai's conquer of the region. Zaman Khan and several of his family members were killed while his son Ahmad Khan (Durrani) and Zulfiqar Khan were taken as prisoners to Kandahar in the south.

NATO-trained Afghan National Police (ANP) at the Regional Training Center (RTC) in 2009.

In 1816 the Persians captured the city but abandoned it shortly after. Two years later a second Persian campaign against the city was defeated at the Battle of Kafir Qala.
In 1824, Herat became independent for several years when the Afghan empire was split between the Durranis and the Barakzais. Qajars of Persia tried to take city from the Durranis in 1838 and again in 1856; both times the British helped to repel the Persians, the second time through the Anglo-Persian War. The city fell to Dost Mohammad Khan of the Barakzai dynasty in 1863. Most of the Musallah complex in Herat was cleared in 1885 by the British army to get a good line of sight for their artillery against Russian invaders who never came. This was but one small sidetrack in the Great Game, a century-long conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in 19th century.

Afghan and U.S. government officials along with members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) at Herat International Airport in 2012.

In the 1960s, engineers from the United States built Herat Airport, which was used by the Soviet forces during the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Even before the Soviet invasion at the end of 1979, there was a substantial presence of Soviet advisors in the city with their families. Between March 10 to 20 in 1979, Afghan army in Herāt under the control of Ismail Khan mutinied. Reprisals by the Afghan government followed, and between 3,000 and 5,000 people were killed.[18] The city itself was recaptured with tanks and airborne forces.
Ismail Khan became the leading mujahideen commander in Herāt. After the departure of the Soviets, he became governor of Herat Province. In September 1995 the city was captured by the Taliban without much resistance, forcing Ismail Khan to flee. However, after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, on November 12, 2001, it was liberated from the Taliban by forces loyal to the Northern Alliance and Ismail Khan returned to power (see Battle of Herat). In 2004, Mirwais Sadiq, Aviation Minister of Afghanistan and the son of Ismail Khan, was ambushed and killed in Herāt by a local rival group. More than 200 people were arrested under suspicion of involvement.

Herāt is now fully under the control of Afghanistan's new central government, led by Hamid Karzai, who was initially backed by the United States. The Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police provide security in the city as well as the whole province. Regional Command West, led by Italy, is the International Security Assistance Force presence in the area, which assists the local Afghan military headquarters, the ANA 207th Corps. Herat was one of the first seven areas that transitioned security responsibility from NATO to Afghanistan. On July 21, 2011, Afghan security forces assumed lead security responsibility from NATO. On the occasion, Minister of Defense Wardak told the audience, “this is our national responsibility to take over our security and defend our country."
Due to their close connection, Iran began investing in the development of Herat's power, economy and education sectors. As a result, the city now enjoys 24-hour electricity, paved roads, and a higher sense of security. In the meantime, the United States built a consulate in Herat to help further strengthen its relations with Afghanistan. In addition to the usual services, the consulate works with the local officials on development projects and with security issues in the region.

View of Herat from a hill in 2009.

Climate

Herāt has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).
Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls in winter. Although Herāt is approximately 240 m (790 ft) lower than Kandahar, the summer climate is more temperate, and the climate throughout the year is far from disagreeable. From May to September, the wind blows from the northwest with great force.
The winter is tolerably mild; snow melts as it falls, and even on the mountains does not lie long. Three years out of four it does not freeze hard enough for the people to store ice. The eastern reaches of the Hari River, including the rapids, are frozen hard in the winter, and people travel on it as on a road.

Demography

The population of Herat numbers approximately 436,300 as of 2012. It is a multi-ethnic society with Tajiks being the majority and roughly the same as the Persians of eastern Iran. There is no official data on the precise ethnic make-over but according to a 2003 map found in the National Geographic Magazine, the percentage figure of ethnic groups was given as follows: 85% Tajiks, 10% Pashtuns, 2% Hazaras, 2% Uzbeks and 1% Turkmens.Persian language (known in the region as Herātī) serves as the lingua franca. It is the native language of Herat, which belongs to the Khorāsānī cluster within Persian and is akin to the Persian dialects of eastern Iran, notably those of Mashhad and Khorasan Province. The second language that is understood by many is Pashto, which is the native language of the Pashtuns. Religiously, Sunni Islam is practiced by the majority and the remaining people are Shias (Shiites).
Notable people from Herat

Aamir Khan, Bollywood actor

Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī, a famous Persian poet of the 11th century

Nūr ud-Dīn Jāmī, a famous Persian Sufi poet of the 15th century

Nizām ud-Din ʿAlī Shīr Navā'ī, famous poet and politician of the Timurid era

Ustād Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, the greatest of the medieval Persian painters

Gowharšād, wife of Shāhrūkh Mīrzā

Mīrzā Shāhrūkh bin Tīmur Barlas, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt

Mīrzā Husseyn Bāyqarāh, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt

Shāh Abbās The Great, Emperor of Safavid Persia

Abbās Qullī Khān Shāmlū, Safavid Governor of Herat Province (1812)

Latīf Nāzemī, famous poet of modern times

Sultan Jan, ex-ruler of Herat.

Ismail Khan, former governor of Herat Province and Minister of Water and Energy

School girls in Herat

Transport

Air

Herat International Airport was built by engineers from the United States in the 1960s and was used by the Soviet Armed Forces during their 1980s war with the Afghan mujahideen forces. It was bombed in late 2001 when the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom began to remove the Taliban government from power. It has been rebuilt in the last decade and is scheduled to be turned into Herat International Airport in the near future. The runway of the airport has been extended and upgraded.

Rail
In 2007, Afghanistan and neighboring Iran finalized an agreement for the establishment of a rail service between the two countries. Construction of the 191 km (119 mi) railway, from Khaf in Iran to Herāt, is in progress on the Iranian side of the border. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. There is also the prospect of an extension across Afghanistan to Sher Khan Bandar. See railway stations in Afghanistan.

Herat International Airport

Places of interest

- Neighborhoods
- Shahr-e Naw (Downtown)
- Welayat (Office of the governor)
- Qol-Ordue (Army's HQ)
- Farqa (Army's HQ)
- Darwaze Khosh
- Chaharsu
- Pul-e rangine
- Sufi-abad
- New-abad
- Pul-e malaan
- Thakhte Safar
- Howz-e-Karbas
- Baramaan
- Darwaze-ye Qandahar
- Darwaze-ye Iraq
- Darwaze Az Kordestan
- Parks
- Park-e Taraki
- Park-e Millat
- Khane-ye Jihad Park
- Monuments
- Herat Citadel (Qala Ikhtyaruddin or Arg)
- Musallah Complex
- Of the more than dozen minarets that once stood in Herāt, many have been toppled from war and neglect over the past century. Recently, however, everyday traffic threatens many of the remaining unique towers by shaking the very foundations they stand on. Cars and trucks that drive on a road encircling the ancient city rumble the ground every time they pass these historic structures. UNESCO personnel and Afghan authorities have been working to stabilize the Fifth Minaret.[26][27]
- Museums
- Herat Museum, located inside the Herat Citadel
- Jihad Museum
- Mausoleums and tombs
- Mausoleum of Queen Goharshad
- Mausoleum of Khwajah Abdullah Ansari
- Tomb of Jami
- Tomb of khaje Qaltan
- Mausoleum of Mirwais Sadiq
- Jewish cemetery - there once existed an ancient Jewish community in the city. Its remnants are a cemetery and a ruined shrine.[28]
- Mosques
- Jumu'ah Mosque (Friday Mosque of Herat)
- Gazargah Sharif
- Khalghe Sharif
- Shah Zahdahe
- Hotels
- Serena Hotel (coming soon)
- Diamond Hotel
- Marcopolo Hotel
- Stadiums
- Herat Stadium
- Universities
- Herat University