Mazar-i-Sharif

Mazar-i-Sharif or Mazar-e-Sharif is a city in northern Afghanistan, serving as the capital and largest city of Balkh Province. It has 12 city districts (nahias) and an estimated population of 568,013 people. Hafiz Abdul Rahman Himat is the current mayor of the city. His predecessor was Mohammad Kazim Tariq.

Mazar-i-Sharif is home to the Mausoleum of Imam Ali. The city has long been a tourist destination because of its famous shrines as well as the Islamic and Hellenistic archeological sites. The city is also home to the Mawlana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi International Airport and Balkh University. It is linked by a road network with Hairatan to the north, Kunduz to the east, Aybak to the southeast, Bamyan to the south, and Sheberghan to the west. It is about 55 km (34 mi) to the south from the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border. The ancient city of Balkh is about 25 km (16 mi) slightly to the northwest of Mazar-i-Sharif.

The region around Mazar-i-Sharif has been historically part of Greater Khorasan and was controlled by the Tahirids followed by the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Ilkhanids, Timurids, and Khanate of Bukhara until 1751 when it became part of the Durrani Empire.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the regional hub of northern Afghanistan, located in close proximity to Termez in Uzbekistan and the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan. It has the highest percentage of built-up land (91%) of all the Afghan provincial capitals, and it has additional built-up area extending beyond the municipal boundary but forming a part of the larger urban area. It is also the lowest-lying major city in the country, about 357 m (1,171 ft) above sea level. Although the city was mostly spared from the devastation that occurred in Afghanistan's other major cities during the Soviet–Afghan War and subsequent civil war, it was regarded in 2020 as one of the dangerous cities in the country.

On 14 August 2021, Mazar-i-Sharif was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the 25th provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive. Research shows that exposure to war and armed violence in Mazar-e-Sharif has led to the development of mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders. Studies conducted in Mazar-e-Sharif, which were conducted after the fall of the Taliban and under conditions of relative security, show that despite a relative decrease in direct experience of war among the younger generation, the psychological effects of war continue to be severe in the form of daily stress and psychological problems, especially in men. These stresses and mental disorders are caused by past war events and socio-cultural problems that continue to have an impact on the mental health of individuals.