♥♥♥ A page for Mazar lovers ♥♥♥
Mazar-e Sharif is the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 375,000 as of 2006. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the west and Uzbekistan in the north. The city also serves as one of the many tourist attractions because of its famous shrines as well as the
Muslim and Hellenistic archeological sites. The name "Mazar-e Sharif" means "Noble Shrine", a reference to the large, blue-tiled sanctuary and mosque in the center of the city known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali or the Blue Mosque. Mazar-e Sharif has a cold steppe climate with hot summers and cold winters. The climate in Mazar-e Sharif is very hot during the summer with daily temperatures of over 40 °C (104 °F) from June to August. The winters are cold with temperatures falling below freezing. Mazar-e Sharif serves as the major trading center in northern Afghanistan, which is the first city to connect itself by rail with a neighboring country. The rail service from Mazar-e Sharif to Uzbekistan that began in December 2011 is expected to rapidly boost the economy of the city. Cargo on freight trains arrives to the last station near Mazar-e Sharif Airport, where the goods are reloaded onto trucks or airplanes and sent to their last destinations across Afghanistan. As the industry grows, it will provide employment for many local residents as well as large revenues for the city officials.
