"Taking leave of Rasoul with due ceremony, I headed out on to the streets of Mazar-e Sharif, a low-slung provincial capital with its back to the Hindu Kush on the verge of the vast Central Asian steppe. Women walked unveiled as traffic police dressed like toy grenadiers tried to clear paths for them between high-yoked, horse-drawn droshkies and shepherds herding flocks of fat-tailed sheep. "
- Christopher Kremmer, The Carpet Wars

Mazar-e Sharif is Afghanistan's largest northern city, and site of the country's holiest shrine. It largely sat out the Soviet and civil wars, but suffered badly under Taliban rule. Dominating the steppe, it controls the trade routes to Central Asia, and continues to be disputed over by rival Tajiks and Uzbeks. Mazar is the centre of Afghanistan's New Year (Nauroz) celebrations on March 21. Since 2004, the Foundation for Culture and Civil Society has organised a large festival around Nauroz, featuring music concerts and poetry - see their website for more information.

The far older city of Balkh, now much reduced in status is a short drive from Mazar-e Sharif.

Where to stay and eat
There are several hotels clustered around the shrine of Hazrat Ali, although not all will accept foreigners. The cheapest of those that will are the Amo and Aria Hotels, just south of the shrine. The Bharat Hotel is more expensive at around US$25, but offers hot water and fantastic views of the shrine complex. The best restaurants, serving up mantu as well as kebabs are to the west of the shrine, clustered amid the moneychangers. Delhi Durbar, is an excellent Indian restaurant, and serves alcohol.

Transport connections
Mazar is the main transport hub for north Afghanistan. The eastern bus station runs minibuses to Kabul, Kunduz, Faizabad and points along the way. Transport to Herat is by Landcruiser only - arrange this west of the shrine, along with minibuses to Balkh and as far as Shiberghan.

Security information
Mazar-e Sharif is largely controlled by the Tajiks of Mohammed Ata, who had frequently clashed with General Dostum's Uzbeks. The British-run Provincial Reconstruction Team and the posting of Kabuli police have largely calmed the situation, and there has been no major fighting since 2004. Keep an eye on developments.

What to see
The Shrine of Ali dominates the city, which has no old quarter to speak of. Close to Mazar are the many sights of Balkh.

Shrine of Hazrat Ali
While the Muslim world as a whole contends that Ali is buried at Najaf in Iraq, Afghan tradition alone places his burial spot at Mazar-e Sharif. Following the dream of a local mullah in the 12th Century in which Ali appeared to reveal his true burial site, excavations at the village of Khairan, 20km east of Balkh. According to local legend, a small brick tomb was uncovered containing a Koran, sword, and the perfectly preserved body of Ali. The site immediately became a place of pilgrimage, and the Seljuk Sultan Sanjar raised a tomb over the site. This tomb was later destroyed by the ravages of Genghis Khan, and lay forgotten for over two hundred years.

A history of the tomb was rediscovered during the reign of the Timurid Sheikh Sultan Baiqara, who commissioned a new shrine in 1481. Much restored, this shrine still forms the centre of modern Mazar.

Set in a large courtyard, the Shrine of Hazrat Ali is a rhapsody of blue mosaic tiling, with a main south-facing portal leading to the tomb itself, supplanted by twin domes. Little of the original Timurid building remains, due to constant rebuilding and renovation throughout its history; most of the tiling is mid-20th Century from the tile workshop of the Herat Friday Mosque. The condition of the shrine is excellent, making it one of Afghanistan's best preserved monuments. Within the complex and west of the shrine is the tomb of Amir Sher Ali, Dost Mohammed's son and successor. Another of Dost Mohammed's sons, Wazir Akbar Khan is buried south of the shrine.

The shrine courtyard is home to hundreds of white pigeons. Local tradition recounts that one in seven is a spirit, and that any grey pigeons in the flock will turn white in forty days due to the holiness of the area. The courtyard of the shrine is also the focus of Mazar's Nauroz celebrations. On March 21 a huge religious banner (janda) is raised and flown for forty days to celebrate the coming of spring, marked by buzkashi games and the Gul Surkh festival. At the end of the forty days, the Janda is lowered, and the festival of Gul Surkh ('Red Blossom') is celebrated, as red tulips blossom around Mazar, associated with prosperity and fertility.

. Entrance to the tomb is forbidden to non-Muslims. Some visitors have also been asked to pay a 'camera fee', although it is unclear if genuine or a demand for an extra tip at the gate.