Balkh, was an ancient city and political region in Greater Khurāsān, a district whose boundaries and territory differ from those of modern Balkh. The territory of Balkh is now a small province (about 12,800 km2) in northern Afghanistan, the capital of which is the city of Mazār-i Sharīf (Raʾīs al-Sādāt, 204; Dawlatābādī, 30).
The city of Balkh was regarded as one of the most important centres of Persian culture, its importance deriving from its opportune location at the convergence of trad…