THE SANDS OF TIME The sun rises over the city of Herat Ancient sand-colored buildings fill the Old City while bright modern canopies shade shopping stalls Soon people fill the streets searching the bazaar for bargains 4
OTHER TOP SITES BLUE MOSQUE GARDENS OF BABUR MINARET OF JAM MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART As the sun’s rays warm the day visitors marvel at the beauty of the Masjid Jami the Friday Mosque Its tile mosaics are over 800 years old Nearby is the Citadel a fortress that was first built by Alexander the Great Years of wars and rebuilding have left their mark From the top visitors see Herat spread out below Ancient architecture meets modern-day life in Afghanistan 5
LOCATION Afghanistan is located in south-central Asia Slightly smaller than the state of Texas it covers 251,827 square miles 652,230 square kilometers of landlocked terrain Iran is to the west and Pakistan wraps around the south and east China makes up 57 miles 91 kilometers of its eastern border too Turkmenistan Uzbekistan and Tajikistan line the northern border The nearest large body of water is the Arabian Sea It is about 300 miles 483 kilometers south The capital city of Kabul sits along the Kabul River in east-central Afghanistan between two mountain ranges TURKMENISTAN HERAT 6 IRAN
UZBEKISTAN CHINA TAJIKISTAN MAZAR-E SHARIF KABUL AFGHANISTAN KABUL RIVER KANDAHAR PAKISTAN 7
