In the difficult history of Afghanistan, this famous city has also prospered and prospered, and it also has ties to China
Unexpectedly, the historic city of Herat in Afghanistan has such a relationship with China
Herat City is located on the Herat Oasis, the capital of herat province in western Afghanistan. The city is 922 meters above sea level, and the urban area is divided into two parts across the river, with the new city on the right bank of the river, and the entire urban area is surrounded by gardens and vineyards. There are many places of interest in the city and its suburbs: there are the ruins of ancient mosques; ancient architecture; the mausoleums of famous rulers and great poets of past generations. Particularly elegant in ancient architecture is a religious school of Islam whose walls are inlaid with white and green marble. Afghanistan has always been known for its jade production and a variety of high-grade building materials.
The city of Herat is steeped in history. In the Zoroastrian scriptureSta and the ancient Persian inscriptions, the city is named Hariwa and in ancient Greek writings as Arya, indicating that the city existed in the sixth century BC. In the Middle Ages, Herat was called Harry or Hayley. China's "History of Ming" refers to Herat as Harley or Helu.
Herat is located in the middle of the ancient "Silk Road". Historically, it was the hub of transportation between the Mediterranean region and China and India. Rich in products, it is known as the "granary of Central Asia" in history. Militarily it is a place of contention.
During the Sassanid dynasty, Herat was an important town in eastern Iran. From the middle of the seventh century onwards, it became the territory of the Arab Empire. At that time, its handicraft textiles were already very famous, and the turbans, quilts, tablecloths, etc. produced had a unique oriental color. The decorative pattern of the carpet is beautiful and generous, and the colors are harmonious.
In the tenth century AD, the famous geographers Ibn, Haukler and McDisi recorded that Herat was a large city with an acropolis inside and four gates on the outer city, each with a city. The Grand Mosque is located in the center of the city. None of the mosques in eastern Iran can match its beauty. To the south of Herat is the town of Marin on the heli River, and there is a bridge over the river, which is gorgeous.
In the twelfth century, under the rule of the Ghor dynasty, Herat flourished. The famous geographer Yekut, the author of the Geographical Dictionary, passed through the city in 1217 AD, and he said that Herat was the largest and richest city he had ever seen.
According to the historian and geographer Mustaufi of the Ilkhanid dynasty, during the Gur dynasty, the city of Herat was inhabited by about 440,000 people, with more than 600 seminaries, more than 12,000 shops and 6,000 baths. again
It is recorded that there are nine canals divided from the Herry River, irrigating the fertile land near Herat.
In 1226 AD, Herat was besieged by Mongol armies for six months and then occupied. A large number of urban dwellers and peasants settled nearby were slaughtered and the population plummeted.
In 1245 AD, a local prince named Kustin Muhammad established the Kurt dynasty, and Herat returned to prosperity. At the end of the thirteenth century, this dynasty ruled almost all of modern Afghanistan.
The Kurt Dynasty built many mosques in Herat and strongly promoted literature and art. The famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta once passed by Herat and spoke of its metal finesse and the exquisiteness of its textiles, and in 1380 AD, Timur captured Herat and the Kurt dynasty ended.
Shaharu (1404-1447 AD), the fourth son of Timur and former governor of Khorasan, established the capital in Herat after he gained supreme rule over the Timurid kingdoms. He began to heal the wounds of the scourge of war: the walls of Herat were rebuilt, and many ornate buildings were built.
In 1408, Ming Chengzu sent envoys to Herat to mourn timur's funeral (died in 1405 AD) and mediate the dispute between Shaharu and his nephew Harry. Envoy Shaharu returned to Beijing with the Chinese envoy. In the more than ten years since then, our country and Herat have exchanged envoys seven or eight times.
In 1417, the Ming Dynasty sent the official Wailang Chen Cheng to envoy Herat, and after his return, he wrote the "Records of the Western Regions", which recorded The geography, customs and properties of Herat in great detail: "... Native products include white salt, copper, iron, glass, gold, silver, coral, amber, and pearl. Breed more silkworms, be good at being cunning. Wood includes Qin, Willow, Elm, Locust, Pine, Juniper, and Poplar. Fruits include peaches, apricots, pears, grapes, and pomegranates. The grain has hemp, beans, pine, wheat, and millet. The beasts are lions, leopards, horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, and dogs. Lions are born in the Amu Darya River (i.e., the Amu Darya River) reed forest. At the time of birth, the eyes are closed and open on the seventh day. The natives take it when their eyes are closed, adjust their habits, and grow up a little, then they cannot be tamed."
At that time, most of the gifts given to Our country by the Herat envoys were lions, good horses, rhinos, elephants, jade, fabrics, etc. Gifts from our country include platinum, satin, saro, porcelain, horses, eagles and so on.
According to the "History of Ming", from Herat to Suzhou (present-day Jiuquan County, Gansu) was about 11,000 miles (or 13,000 miles), the journey took a year, and if the transport of lions, elephants and other large animals took more time.
In the mid-fifteenth century, during the reign of Timur's fourth grandson, Hussein Behara, 1468-1506 AD, Herat became the most important cultural center in Central Asia.
At the Court of Behara, the greatest Persian painter, Bichzad (born in Herat in 1440), based on the unique style of Decorative and Colorful Persian painting, absorbed the expressive methods of Chinese painting such as line drawing. Bichzadeh excelled in brush strokes, and is particularly famous for his two portraits of Behara and illustrations for Sadie's manuscripts of the Rose Garden.
Also in the court was the great classical poet, the scholar Jamie. The plot of his poems was the favorite subject of the painters at that time. In addition, there is the famous historian Mirhunde.
The Turkic poet Navai served as prime minister of Bejara, was a protector of literature and art, and paid close attention to the construction of Herat. He presided over the construction of many gardens and colleges. There are still four huge minarets of the seminary he built on the outskirts of Herat.
In the centuries that followed, Herat was still devastated by war from time to time. In the 1830s, due to the open and secret struggle between Russian and British imperialism in Afghanistan, Persian troops were instigated to attack Herat.
The powerful Persian army besieged Herat twice. During the second siege of the city in November 1838, the Herat garrison burned down all the villages within 12 miles of the city and moved all grain, including barley and wheat, along with fodder and livestock. At that time, only 10,000 cavalry were held on the battlefield in Herat, while the Persian army had more than 30,000 troops. The siege that began in the harsh winter of that year continued until September of the following year. As a result, due to the lack of supplies on both sides, there was a famine in the city and the attackers, and the Persian army had to withdraw.
After The independence of Afghanistan, Herat was the main commercial center. A large number of agricultural and livestock products such as lamb skins and camel hairs are distributed here. Industries include textile, cotton washing, building materials and food industry, automobile repair factory and so on. There are also minerals near Herat such as oil, coal, copper, iron, and salt.
When Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan, an invading army entered Herat province from Kushka, Turkmenistan. The brave and warlike Afghan people rose up in resistance, and Herat province is one of the most active provinces for Muslim guerrillas.