Mazar-e Sharif
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At the centre of Mazar-e Sharif stands a brilliant blue-tiled shrine that gives the northern city its name and identity.
Photo: ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The noble shrine
“Mazar-e Sharif” can be translated as “the noble shrine.” The city grew around the shrine complex, also known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali or the Blue Mosque. Its courtyards, domes and façades are covered in intricate blue, turquoise and white tilework.
Local tradition associates the shrine with Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Other traditions place Ali’s burial in Najaf, Iraq. Regardless of that difference, the Mazar shrine remains an important place of devotion and community life.
Spring and renewal
The city is closely associated with Nowruz, the spring new year celebrated across Afghanistan and the wider region. For generations, large gatherings around the shrine have marked the season with the raising of a ceremonial standard known as Jahenda Bala.