The Citadel of Herat (

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

: سکندرۍ کلا ;

Dari Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī � ...

: ارگ هرات) also known as the Citadel of Alexander, and locally known as Qala Iktyaruddin (

;

: قلعه اختیارالدین), is located in the center of

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. It dates back to 330 BC, when

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

and his army arrived to what is now Afghanistan after the

Battle of Gaugamela The Battle of Gaugamela (; grc, Γαυγάμηλα, translit=Gaugámela), also called the Battle of Arbela ( grc, Ἄρβηλα, translit=Árbela), took place in 331 BC between the forces of the Army of Macedon under Alexander the Great a ...

. Many empires have used it as a headquarters in the last 2,000 years, and was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. From decades of wars and neglect, the citadel began to crumble but in recent years several international organizations decided to completely rebuild it. The ''National Museum of Herat'' is also housed inside the citadel, while the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture is the caretaker of the whole premises.

Recent restoration

Pathway inside the citadel of Alexander in Herat

The citadel of Herat was completely renovated between 2006 and 2011. The latest restoration involved hundreds of Afghan craftsmen and funds from the

Aga Khan Trust for Culture The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developin ...

and about $2.4 million from the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

governments. Inside the Museum of Herat in 2011

About 1,100 items from the Herat region are stored inside the museum at the citadel, of which 250 are on display currently.Restored citadel is symbol of hope in Afghanistan
Deb Riechmann. October 17, 2011. At a ceremony in October 2011,

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

Ryan Crocker Ryan Clark Crocker (born June 19, 1949) is an American retired diplomat who served as a career ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has served as United States Ambassador to ...

stated that: "Until 35 years ago, tourists from around the world came here to experience heritage, history and incomparable national landscapes... We look forward to the day when Afghans and visitors from around the world will once again come here to learn about Afghanistan's rich history and enjoy the great hospitality and beauty that this land and its people have to offer." Also present on the occasion was Afghan-expert

Nancy Dupree Nancy Hatch Dupree ( ps, نانسي دوپري, translit=Nansi dupri; October 3, 1927 – September 10, 2017) was an American-Afghan historian whose work primarily focused on the history of modern Afghanistan. She was the director of the Afghanis ...

and this is what she had to say: "I've been here many times, but it was crumbling... This is impressive.... I think the most exciting thing is to see something finally accomplished. I have seen so many half-finished things."

Gallery

File:Citadel in Herat in 2011.jpg, An inside view of the ''Qala Ikhtyaruddin'' (

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

) in

. Herat Citadel, Afghanistan.jpg, Inside view

References

External links

{{Herat Province

Citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

Forts in Afghanistan Royal residences in Afghanistan Palaces in Afghanistan