Mazar-e Sharif, a photo from Balkh, West

Photographer's Note

Silkroad travels by bicycle:

Afghanistan is not a tourist destination nowadays. But the traveller that has his trip well prepared in advance and is willing to melt into the local environment and speak some Dari will be richly rewarded with interesting encounters and great sights. The shrine of Hazrat Ali shown here gave rise of the town's name, Mazar-e Sharif - "Tomb of the Exalted". It is believed that the cousin of Prophet Mohammed is buried here. Genghis Khan destroyed the original shrine, the present Majid was built under a Timurid ruler in Herat and dates from the 15th c. Many of the tiles have been replaced since. Infidels cannot access the shrine. They let me in nevertheless. If you locate the mosque in "Map: View" you will also discover the rich city traffic !

Info: Wikipedia; B. Omrani et al. 2009, Afghanistan : A Companion and Guide. Odyssey Books, Hong Kong

worldcitizen, Royaldevon, timecapturer, boa has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

marabu61 (11557) 2014-02-02 8:44

Hello Dietrich
One hears only the sad stories of war from Afghanistan but what hidden treasures it has, you show us beautifully with this scene from Mazar e Sharif. Like a scene from 1001 nights the mosque shines in its brilliant colors under a gorgeous sky. It looks so peaceful that one could forget about the atrocities of war happening there.
Truly a beautiful picture.
have a good sunday
Daniel

lestans (17230) 2014-02-02 9:27

Beautiful place! What a pity that this country is One of the last for Tourism.
Blue color is every where in this picture, the Mosque looks gorgeous and the square looks very clean. Very nice picture
Livia

jimmj63 (3857) 2014-02-02 10:14

ciao Dietrich

very good view of this fantastic and hidden building. This is a kingdom of blue: the sky and the turquoise roof

very well done

ciao, giacomo

kasianowak (11949) 2014-02-02 11:12

Hi Dietrich
Thank you for this insight into this little visited part of the world. Beautiful light and colours and great timing for the five people walking across the image.
Best wishes
Kasia

federico (5067) 2014-02-02 12:01

hello dietrich, very nice architecture photo here, I didn't know that in mazar-e sharif there was such a beautyfull place, and all the best for your great bycicle journey, I too love bycicle travel it is definitely the best way to know places and yourself
best regards
Fred

worldcitizen (10598) 2014-02-02 12:44

Hello Dietrich,
I've seen photos of this shrine before, and it's certainly an architectural gem. The colors and intricate designs are wonderful, and so is the marble floor in front of it. I think this is the spot where there are often lots of white doves, right? Was the interior as impressive as the exterior? It's nice that some locals were also walking by when you captured this scene. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Royaldevon (51802) 2014-02-02 12:50

Hello Dietrich,

This is not the sort of shot that we are used to seeing of Afghanistan. I must confess, I find it beautiful. The rich colours of the patterned tiles make the shrine eye-catching, whilst the domes perfectly reflect the colours of the sky.
The figures add human interest and scale to the photograph, whilst also revealing the texture of the tiles with their reflections.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

kwekwekan (1078) 2014-02-02 15:19

Hello Dietrich,
What a beautiful place! Great clear lighting conditions that make the shrine and surrounding grounds shine in all their splendor. The intricate details and colours of the architecture are also very well presented.
Best wishes,
Caleb

timecapturer (49288) 2014-02-03 2:45

Hi Dietrich
a fascinating looking place and captured so beautifully. What an amazing tomb, so exquisitely detailed and a real sense of the scale and impact of this shrine. Stunning!

Have a good week - B.

holmertz (68816) 2014-02-16 7:27

Hello Dietrich,
I was here in 1973 and loved the mosque and its garden. I am glad to see it looking so fine and well kept in spite of the many bad years that have followed. This is a very good photo with fine colours and excellent clarity and a human presence looking exactly like 41 years ago. I am amazed and impressed by your way of travelling through Afghanistan in recent days. I would never consider that.
Regards,
Gert

ACL1978 (7511) 2014-02-23 14:22

A real beauty here, Dietrich, and such a contrast with the typical image of Afghanistan. The walkway is so polished you can see reflections of the bright colors of the building in it - amazing! And of course the tone and brightness is wonderful, giving us a great look at this building's stunning mosaic detail. Beautiful work, thanks.

Andrew

boa (7875) 2015-09-21 12:27

Hi Dietrich,
a very attractive and interesting picture. Architecture like this is must to see once in a lifetime. I don't know how the safety situation is right now in Afghanistan but I have decided to visit this country sooner or later. There is a soft beautiful light in this scene and I am glad that you included people. Pictures like this lose much of interest if there are no human presence. Tfs!

Have a nice evening/
Boa