Herat
The district of Aria, known today as Herat, first appeared in royal inscriptions from the Achaemenid Empire between 550 and 330 BC. Old Persian sources called this region Haraiva, while classical writers referred to it as Areia or Aria. The name likely derives from the local Herey River, which flows through the district with velocity before ending south of the city. Darius I included Aria in provincial lists around 520 BC, depicting representatives wearing Scythian-style tunics and twisted Bashlyk headgear at Naqsh-e Rustam. Herodotus later described the area as the breadbasket of Central Asia during the time of Alexander the Great. In late 330 BC, Alexander captured the Arian capital called Artacoana and ordered the construction of a new citadel. The town became part of the Seleucid Empire following these conquests. Most historical sources suggest that Herat remained predominantly Zoroastrian for centuries after its founding. It joined the Parthian Empire in 167 BC and later became one of three Sasanian mint centers alongside Balkh and Marv. By 430 AD, a Christian community existed there with a bishop listed in records dating back to 424.
Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar conquered Herat in 870 under the banner of Islam, marking the beginning of significant Islamic rule. The city flourished under the Samanid dynasty until 999 when Qarakhanids and Ghaznavids destroyed their power. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni officially took control of Khorasan including Herat in 998. Mustawfi reported that Herat had 359 colleges, 12,000 fully occupied shops, and 6,000 bath-houses during the 12th century. Ghiyasuddin Ghori built the great mosque of Herat in 1201, establishing it as an important center for metal goods production. Timur captured the city in 1380 and ended the Kartid dynasty shortly after. Sultan Husayn Bayqara ruled Herat from 1469 until his death on the 4th of May 1506, presiding over what became known as the Timurid Renaissance. His chief minister Mir Ali-Shir Nava'i was a poet and author who served as a great builder and patron of the arts. Shahrokh, the youngest son of Timur, began governing Herat in 1397 with intense royal patronage and building activities. The Musalla Complex, madrasa of Gawhar Shad, and many gardens date from this period of relative stability and prosperity.
The Mongol Empire laid siege to Herat twice, resulting in catastrophic loss of life. The first siege led to the surrender of the city and the slaughter of the local sultan's army of 12,000 soldiers. A second rebellion against Mongol rule lasted seven months and ended in June 1222 with the beheading of the entire population of 1,600,000 people according to one account. The city remained in ruins from 1222 to about 1236 before reconstruction efforts began. In 1244, a local prince named Shams al-Din Kart was appointed ruler by the Mongol governor of Khorasan. He founded a new dynasty that his successors Fakhruddin Kart and Ghiyasuddin Kart continued to develop. These rulers built many mosques and other buildings while becoming great patrons of literature and the arts. By this time Herat had become known as the pearl of Khorasan again after the devastation. The city reached its greatest glory under Timurid princes who followed the Mongol destruction. Shahrokh restored and enlarged the bazaar, creating economic opportunities for merchants and artisans.
Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of Herat in 1747 after Nader Shah's death, making it part of the Durrani Empire. The city became independent for several years during an Afghan civil war between sons of Timur Shah starting in 1793. Iranian forces besieged Herat multiple times between 1801 and 1837 with British help repelling them in 1837. Persia invaded again in 1856 and briefly captured the city on the 25th of October before the Anglo-Persian War began. Hostilities ended after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1857, causing Persian troops to withdraw by September. Afghanistan conquered Herat on the 26th of May 1863 under Dost Muhammad Khan two weeks before his death. The Musalla of Gawhar Shah was dynamited during the Panjdeh incident to prevent usage by advancing Russian forces. Emergency preservation work occurred at the site in 2001 including building protective walls around the mausoleum. Engineers from the United States built Herat Airport in the 1960s which later served Soviet forces during the Democratic Republic era.
Between 10 and the 20th of March 1979, the Afghan Army in Herat mutinied under commander Ismail Khan against the Khalq communist regime led by Nur Mohammad Taraki. Thousands of protesters took to the streets murdering Soviet advisers and targeting women without headscarves who were dubbed sarluchi. Rebels managed to oust communists and take control of the city for three days before government reprisals killed between 3,000 and 24,000 people in what became known as the 1979 Herat uprising. The city was recaptured by the Afghan Army's 4th and 15th Armoured Brigades with thousands of civilians killed in the process. This rebellion marked the first major event since the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 and was the bloodiest preceding the Soviet-Afghan War. In April 1983 a series of Soviet bombings damaged half of the city and killed around 3,000 civilians described as extremely heavy and brutal. Ismail Khan became the leading mujahideen commander fighting against the Soviet-backed government during this period.
On the 12th of November 2001 forces loyal to the Northern Alliance captured Herat from the Taliban after the U.S. invasion began. The state of the city was reportedly much better than that of Kabul following years of conflict. Mirwais Sadiq, Aviation Minister of Afghanistan and son of Ismail Khan, was ambushed and killed in Herat on 2004 by a local rival group. More than 200 people were arrested under suspicion of involvement in his death. The International Security Assistance Force began establishing bases in and around the city in 2005 to train Afghan National Security Forces. Regional Command West led by Italy assisted the Afghan National Army 207th Corps throughout the reconstruction process. Herat transitioned security responsibility from NATO to Afghanistan in July 2011 becoming one of the first seven areas to do so. Iran invested heavily in developing Herat's power economy and education sectors while the United States built a consulate there. On the 12th of August 2021 the city was captured by Taliban fighters as part of their summer offensive ending decades of relative safety from insurgent attacks.
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Common questions
When did the district of Herat first appear in royal inscriptions?
The district of Herat, known today as Aria, first appeared in royal inscriptions from the Achaemenid Empire between 550 and 330 BC. Old Persian sources called this region Haraiva while classical writers referred to it as Areia or Aria.
Who captured Herat in 1222 and what was the result of that siege?
The Mongol Empire laid siege to Herat twice resulting in catastrophic loss of life. A second rebellion against Mongol rule lasted seven months and ended in June 1222 with the beheading of the entire population of 1,600,000 people according to one account.
What happened to Herat during the 1979 uprising led by Ismail Khan?
Between the 10th and the 20th of March 1979 the Afghan Army in Herat mutinied under commander Ismail Khan against the Khalq communist regime. Rebels managed to oust communists and take control of the city for three days before government reprisals killed between 3,000 and 24,000 people.
When did forces loyal to the Northern Alliance capture Herat from the Taliban?
On the 12th of November 2001 forces loyal to the Northern Alliance captured Herat from the Taliban after the U.S. invasion began. The state of the city was reportedly much better than that of Kabul following years of conflict.
Who ruled Herat from 1469 until his death on the 4th of May 1506?
Sultan Husayn Bayqara ruled Herat from 1469 until his death on the 4th of May 1506 presiding over what became known as the Timurid Renaissance. His chief minister Mir Ali-Shir Nava'i was a poet and author who served as a great builder and patron of the arts.