Northwest Afghanistan Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

This section covers the northwestern portion of Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance held out here when Taliban controlled the rest of Afghanistan. The main ethnic groups are Uzbeks and Tajiks.

The historic region of Bactria spanned territory that included parts of northern Afghanistan — Balkh was it capital — plus areas that are now in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.

• Balkh Province
• Jowzjan Province
• Samangan Province
• Sar-e Pol Province

• 36.71267.1141 Mazar-e Sharif — fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, home to the Shrine of Hazrat Ali also known as Blue Mosque
• 36.75866.8982 Balkh — today a small town, Balkh was once a powerful city known to the Ancient Greeks as Bactra.
• 36.664565.75373 Sheberghan — over 20,000 pieces of ancient gold jewelry and artifacts were discovered in 1979 in the village of Tillia Tepe, just outside Sheberghan.
• 36.261968.03384 Samangan — an ancient city founded by Eucratides I, king of Bactria, developed into a major Buddhist center during the Kushan Dynasty.

• 35.313969.03711 Salang Pass

36.70467.2131 Mazar-e Sharif International Airport (MZR ^IATA) - direct air connections to Kabul, Moscow, Mashad, Dubai and Istanbul. Airlines : Afghan Jet International, Ariana Afghan Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Kam Air, Turkish Airlines