Balkh
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This article is about the city in Afghanistan. For other meanings, see Balch (disambiguation).
Balch (Persian بلخ, DMG Balḫ; English Balkh; Ancient Greek Baktra; Ancient Iranian also Zariaspa "Golden Horse", Arabic also أُمّ المَدَائِن, DMG Umm al-madāʾin 'Mother of Cities') is a city in Balch Province in northern Afghanistan. Balch is a major pilgrimage site, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Mazar-e Sharif, the largest city in northern Afghanistan. Its population was calculated at 87,000 in 2012. Since then, the city has grown enormously.
The shrine of Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa in the city center, called the "Green Mosque".
Balch and the Silk Road
Hellenic capital from Balch
Sons and daughters of the city
- Rābi'a bint Ka'b (10th century), poetess
- Daqīqī (10th century), one of the first poets of the New Persian language, possibly born in Balch.
- Unsuri (c. 961 - c. 1039/40), Persian poet
- Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (1207-1273), mystic and poet
- Wasef Bakhtari (* 1942), intellectual and poet
See also
- List of Persian royal cities
- List of cities in Afghanistan
