Herat is the third city of Afghanistan and its most cultured. Close to the Iranian border, it has always looked west — the architecture is Persian, the language is Dari, and the atmosphere feels more like Isfahan than Kabul. In the 1970s it was the gateway for hippies entering Afghanistan overland from Iran.
The Friday Mosque (Masjid-i Jami) is Herat's masterpiece and one of the great mosques of the Islamic world. Its courtyard is vast, and the tilework — intricate geometric and floral patterns in cobalt blue, turquoise and white — has been carefully maintained for over 800 years. The Citadel of Herat (Qala Iktyaruddin) has been partially restored and overlooks the city from a commanding hill. To the northwest, the Musalla Complex preserves two extraordinary Timurid minarets, the remnants of a vast 15th-century complex largely destroyed in 1885.
The bazaars of Herat are among the best in Afghanistan, particularly for carpets and textiles. The surrounding countryside is fertile and green by Afghan standards, irrigated by the Hari Rud river. Twelve kilometres out of town, the Shrine of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari at Gazargah is a place of quiet pilgrimage and extraordinary Timurid craftsmanship.