Herat

"Hert (en persa ) es una ciudad de Afganistán, situada al oeste del país, en el valle del Hari Rud que nace en las montañas de Afganistán central y recorre el Desierto de Karakum en Turkmenistán. Sobre una fértil área, Hert es tradicionalmente conocida por su vino. Es la capital de la provincia de Hert y su población es de 308.203 habitantes (2012). Los tayikos o farsís forman la mayoría de la población, seguidos por los pastunes, hazaras, uzbekos y otros grupos minoritarios. Todos los habitantes de la ciudad hablan el idioma persa. Es una ciudad antigua con muchos edificios históricos, aunque estos han sufrido daños en varios conflictos militares durante las últimas décadas. Las edificaciones están, en general, construidas con ladrillos de adobe. La ciudad está dominada por las ruinas de una ciudadela, construida por orden de Alejandro Magno. Durante la Edad Media, Hert se convirtió en una de las ciudades importantes de Jorasán, y fue conocida como «la Perla de Jorasán». Está situada en el camino de las antiguas rutas comerciales entre India, China, el Oriente Medio y Europa. Los caminos de Hert a Irán, Turkmenistán, Mazr-e arf y Kandahar son estratégicamente importantes."

"Herat (/hrt/; Persian: ; Pashto: ; Ancient Greek: , Alexandria Ariana; Latin: Alexandria Ariorum) is the third-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 436,300, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated in the fertile valley of the Hari River. It is linked with Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif via highway 1 or the ring road. It is further linked to the city of Mashhad in neighboring Iran through the border town of Islam Qala. Herat dates back to the Avestan times and was traditionally known for its wine. The city has a number of historic sites, including the Herat Citadel and the Mosallah Complex. During the Middle Ages Herat became one of the important cities of Khorasan, as it was known as the Pearl of Khorasan. It has been governed by various Afghan rulers since the early 18th century. In 1717, the city was invaded by the Hotaki forces until they were expelled by the Afsharids in 1736. After Nader Shah's death and Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power in 1747, Herat became part of Afghanistan. It witnessed some political disturbances and military invasions during the early half of the 19th century but the 1857 Treaty of Paris ended hostilities of the Anglo-Persian War. Herat suffered from extensive destruction during the Soviet war in the 1980s, but certain parts of the city have been spared from it. Herat lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The roads from Herat to Iran, Turkmenistan, and other parts of Afghanistan are still strategically important. As the gateway to Iran, it collects high amount of customs revenue for Afghanistan. The city has an international airport. Herat is a regional hub in western Afghanistan in close proximity to Iran and Turkmenistan. The city has high residential density clustered around the core of the city. However, vacant plots account for a higher percentage of the city (21%) than residential land use (18%) and agricultural is the largest percentage of total land use (36%)."