Talk:Balkh

Cultural Role
This section stated that Balkh had an impact on the development of the Persian Language but failed to show how or elaborate. It seems like there should be an elaboration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jlhinch (talk • contribs) 16:17, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

Population
There is only one statistic for the population for 2021. Is there any more recent numbers? How was this done and is it accurate? Is there a trend for the population? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jlhinch (talk • contribs) 16:15, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

Archaeology
No professional archaeologist has ever been able to work at Balkh. - an IP-user in bg: (unknown to me) says that there was a French team in 1930s working in Balkh. May be we should reconsider this sentence. --Nk 16:26, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * My statement. Then this 1998 source is misinformed?: "The ruins of the walls of this city are a length of three and half km and width of almost three km. Pre-Islamic relics are abundant, but no work has been done on the archaeology of these treasures".


 * Sir Aurel Stein might be the figure that's haunting the Bulgarian memory: "Stein's unending series of attempts, spread over forty-odd years of wanderings, to obtain permission to explore in Afghanistan, particularly at Balkh, the ancient Bactra, hoping to uncover the remains of the Greco-Buddhist civilization of Hellenistic Bactria. "My hope of reaching Bactria made me take to Oriental studies, brought me to England & India, gave me my dearest friends & chances of fruitful work, and for all this I must be deeply grateful to Fate" (letter of 1923, quoted by Walker, p. 248). I do not know what moral to draw from the fact that, in the last year of his life, he was finally invited by the government of Afghanistan, the "Promised Land" of his private letters, only to die a week after he arrived in Kabul, a month shy of his eighty-first birthday."Review of biographies of Stein


 * A single Googling "Archaeology Balkh" will turn up information without digging, like pottery shards at Balkh, apparently. --Wetman 17:55, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * Frankly, I have no idea. I just wanted to know if I have to change it or not :). Thank you. --Nk 12:11, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Charles Yate visited Balkh in 1885, and provided an extensive description of the ruins there in his 1888 book. Anyone interested in revising the article from the historical or archeological point of view can consult it at the Internet Archive: Northern Afghanistan, or, Letters from the Afghan Boundary CommissionThomas Peardew (talk) 20:53, 26 January 2024 (UTC)

The temple was Buddhist then Zoroastrian, not the other way around (... right?)
The article had:


 * For a long time the city and country was the central seat of the Zoroastrian religion, the founder of which, Zoroaster, died within the walls, according to the Persian poet Firdousi. In a fire-temple of Balkh, later converted to a Buddhist temple and given the name of Nava Vihara (Navbahar) in Persian chronicles, the Kashmiri Brahmins called Pramukh kept the lamps burning.


 * From the Memoirs of Xuanzang, we learn that, at the time of his visit in the 7th century, there were in the city, or its vicinity, about a hundred Buddhist convents, with 3,000 devotees, and that there was a large number of stupas, and other religious monuments. The most remarkable was the Nau Behar, (avci Bihara or New Convent), which possessed a very costly statue of Buddha. A curious notice of this building is found in the Arabian geographer Ibn Hawqal, an Arabian traveler of the 10th century, who describes Balkh as built of clay, with ramparts and six gates, and extending half a parasang. He also mentions a castle and a mosque.

However, the same temple is described twice here. I understand that it was in fact a Buddhist temple that was converted to Zoroasrianism, and not the other way around (unless it was converted twice?). So I merged the two descriptions, and added references to the most interesting Barmakids, guardians of that temple. Or Monastery, whatever :P I leave this notice here, 'cause I'm not exactly sure of the Buddhist -> Zoroastrian transformation, any sources for it being the other way around? flammif e rtalk 21:32, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

History of the temple - interesting :) flammif e rtalk 21:41, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Zoroastrianism
The lead section should talk about Zoroaster and Zoroastrianism. Balk is a very important spot for Zoroastrianism, yet Zoroastrianism is not even mentioned in the lead... Persian Warrior Contact Me!  06:39, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

Population
Those articles have failed to provide any statistics or census that Balkh district is indeed a Pashtun dominated district. according to the book Ancient Supremacy, only 5% of Balkh District were Pashtuns in the late 19th century. Balkh has always been a Tajik district throughout history and the Pashtuns migrated to Balkh in the last 150 years.--Inuit18 (talk) 03:12, 27 October 2009 (UTC)


 * This is amazing. You are giving me sources which clearly mentions that over 100 years ago those regions were dominated by non-Pashtuns and trying to prove that majority of the residents of Balkh district are non-Pashtuns. I have given you up-to date sources which clearly mentions that pashtuns make up majority of the district.


 * "Today, Balkh is a Pashtun stronghold, one of the few in northern Afghanistan. It's where the Taliban found refuge during the last days of its regime in late 2001."    (Ketabtoon (talk) 03:22, 27 October 2009 (UTC))

Pashtuns are living in Balkh district but it is irrational to think that the ethnography changed so greatly that 5% went up to 50% and up in 100 years. These are news articles not any academic sources.--Inuit18 (talk) 03:25, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

The city of Mazare Sharif was a stronghold of Dostum and Junbish but Uzbeks were a minority in the city.--Inuit18 (talk) 03:27, 27 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Apparently it has increased that much that now they are in majority in Balkh district. It is not only that single news source, but other sources write the same thing. For example


 * "Atta had named three districts of Balkh Province -- Charbolak, Chamtal, and Balkh district, all dominated by Pashtuns, as the areas where Juma Khan was stirring things up."  (Ketabtoon (talk) 04:02, 27 October 2009 (UTC))

This is an academic encyclepedia therefore you need to provide academic sources. for the mean time I am taking the Persian speaking sentence also out.--Inuit18 (talk) 05:01, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Why is Balhae linked in See Also?
I can find no reason why the ancient Korean kingdom of Balhae should be linked from this page. Could someone enlighten me? Perhaps it is a misspelling? --Ben Applegate (talk) 05:12, 1 December 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't see any reason either. Some times people add it by mistakes.  (Ketabtoon (talk) 05:52, 1 December 2009 (UTC))

Sultan Mohammad Khan
I removed this passage from the section "Ancient Ruins of Balkh"

[A famous figure from the Balkh Province was Sultan Muhmmad Khan from the Mamozai tribe. Sultan Muhmmad Khan was the wealthiest person in Balkh at one time. He was believed to own Hundreds of thousands of acres of land. The people of Balkh considered him to be Khan of Balkh. In 1969 his son Shah Muhmmad Khan became a representative of the Balkh Province in The House of representatives so called The Woloesi Jirga.]

It has really no place in the section and has no link whatsoever to the passage. Furthermore, it has not citations.

98.207.182.78 (talk) 07:11, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

Is this the town also called "Wazirabad"?
I'm pretty sure this is the town occasionally called "Wazirabad" (not to be confused with similarly named towns in Pakistan and India, and a neighborhood in Kabul). Any objections to my adding a mention of that alternate name, and liking to here from Wazirabad (disambiguation)? Here's are some gBooks hits: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbo=1&tbs=bks%3A1&q=wazirabad+balkh&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=. MatthewVanitas (talk) 22:02, 13 January 2011 (UTC)

Etymology
What was the etymology of Balkh? Balkh or Bactra(city), which name is older? Böri (talk) 10:32, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

I have omitted a WORD from the paragraph because it was incorrect gramaticaly. MB1133 (talk) 05:55, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

Quatation from Reference 8 "Buddhism in Central Asia", page 130
The quatation from Reference No. 8 "Buddhism in Central Asia", page 130under the Section "Buddhism" is not entirely correct. The correct statement is:

"The Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien (c. 400) found the Hinayana prevalent in Shan-Shan, Kucha, Kashbar, Osh, Udyyana and Gandhara. Hsuan-tsnag also notices its presence in Balhh, Bamiyan and Persia." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.48.94.227 (talk) 15:38, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

Added "Tajik-Persian"
Tajiks are a Persian people. The Persian People article clearly states that. So I don't see why the articles says "Tajiks are also descendants of the Bactrians", when it mentions the Persians earlier. Since moern Tajiks are no longer the same "type" of Persians I have changed it to "Tajik-Persians."

--90.149.188.205 (talk) 04:55, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

There should be no mention of Tajiks on this article, if they should be added then so should Pashtuns. Also there is no evidence that Tajiks are the sole descendants of Bactrians but rather Sodighans who more upwards in Tajikistan. Akmal94 (talk) 18:37, 17 February 2015 (UTC)

Location of Bactra and Zariaspa
Recent research by David Adams (an experienced Australian documentary maker and photo-journalist) and his research team suggests that Bactra and Zariaspa are not synonymous with Balkh but are located further south in the Shulgara Valley in the Paraopamisus mountain range. This was presented in Episode 2 - The Mother of All Cities in his series Alexander's Lost World which was broadcast on SBS on 27 July 2014. The location proposed is backed by circumstantial evidence including consistency with contemporary accounts (the site of modern Balkh is not) and the presence of archaeological ruins which are consistent with contemporary accounts; the ruins are the subject of a recent (ongoing?) French archaelogical dig. According to Adams, contemporary Greek accounts describe Bactra and Zariaspa as twin cities and 'that the two cities lay at the foot of the Paraopamisus mountains and the Bactra river flowed past their walls'. While his theory does not currently appear to have been confirmed or refuted by the academic community, given the consistency of circumstantial evidence with contemporary accounts it appears that future research is more likely than not to confirm the theory. Research sources are available on his website however there is a once-off fee to access this extended information. Given the area is not particularly safe for outsiders, it may be some time before sufficient evidence is available to satisfy the academic community. AusTerrapin (talk) 17:02, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Sheer, unadulterated speculation that it is likely to be confirmed - that's nothing but guesswork. If/until the historians change their minds, his theories are just so much ... fodder. HammerFilmFan (talk) 15:10, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Odd transliteration
ẞaxlɔ. Surely the ẞ is a mistake. Ungoliant MMDCCLXIV (talk) 03:18, 22 March 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 one external links on Balkh. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090102204916/http://www.iranica.com:80/newsite/articles/v3f6/v3f6a024.html to http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v3f6/v3f6a024.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130615060946/http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=1 to http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=1
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110926185621/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6769 to http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=6769

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 17:06, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Balkh. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20141218064621/http://www.the-ecentre.net/news/bulletin/printable_version.cfm?id=287 to http://www.the-ecentre.net/news/bulletin/printable_version.cfm?id=287
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110817054329/http://ghn.globalheritagefund.org/?id=16 to http://ghn.globalheritagefund.org/?id=16

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 01:25, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Subdivisions
In the infobox, the subdivision parameters are for the current subdivisions. We can mention all of the city's history in the body of the article especially the History section, but we do not do that in infobox. Thanks, Khestwol (talk) 07:15, 2 July 2022 (UTC)

Greater Khorasan
Dear Wiki editors,

I made a recent change to the article and added a subdivision on the city info box named " Historical Region: Greater Khorasan" which has been reverted by dear friend @Khestwol.

My sources for this change are:[https://iranicaonline.org/articles/central-asia-iv CENTRAL ASIA iv. In the Islamic Period up to – Encyclopaedia Iranica (iranicaonline.org)],Khorasan | Region, Location, & History | Britannica and other offline sources mentioned on the article Greater Khorasan. Also according to the article Greater Khorasan and its sources: "Khorasan comprised the present territories of northeastern Iran, parts of Afghanistan and southern parts of Central Asia. The province was often subdivided into four quarters, such that Nishapur (present-day Iran), Marv (present-day Turkmenistan), Herat and Balkh (present-day Afghanistan) were the centers, respectively, of the westernmost, northernmost, central, and easternmost quarters." I would like to also mention the fact that a university named Khurasan University (deep inside the Eastern section of Afghanistan in JalalAbad) has been named after (or in honor of) this region. I am also aware that my claim might seem Nationalistic so I have added the word "Historical" besides region for unbiasedness. I am not making any Pan-Iranian claims so I would appreciate your unbias comments. If consensus is made, I request that this change be made to the articles Merv, Balkh, and Herat.

Yours sincerely, Ehsanbasafa (talk) 07:20, 2 July 2022 (UTC). Ehsanbasafa (talk) 07:20, 2 July 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi, the Subdivision and Country parameters in the infobox are for the current, and official, subdivisions (not historical subdivisions the city was ever part of). Please check other cities, e.g. Rome and Ankara, on how we use the city infobox throughout Wikipedia. Khestwol (talk) 09:43, 2 July 2022 (UTC)

aerial photographs of Balkh
Lots of modern buildings and seems to have a sizable population - hardly a "heap of ruiins." --> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/02/bd/b6/02bdb617b611bdcb527b2e33551f2a01.jpg 50.111.15.193 (talk) 06:05, 30 September 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 00:08, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Tapussa and Bhallika.jpg

Current events of Balkh
Should the section about the Governor of Balkh being killed in a bomb blast be removed? He was governor of Balkh province, and therefore might fit into the Balkh province page, rather than Balkh the city. KalabarqT (talk) 17:25, 10 February 2024 (UTC) KalabarqT (talk) 17:24, 10 February 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Middle East Research ASH 3230
— Assignment last updated by KalabarqT (talk) 15:41, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Removing Legends
I Am Removing Legends About Vedic Era & even the Legends didnt Mentioned About it that they ruled DeepstoneV (talk) 02:42, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Missing Sections
All,

This page seems to be replete with a lot of representations regarding the history and the cultural exports of the city, however, there is no discussion of the local geography, current demographics, climate, governing structure and administrative districts, common architectural actions, or important economic and governing sites.

I would seem that this page would benefit greatly from some focus on geographical layout and modern situations.

Smike0512 (talk) 20:16, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Overall impressions and what could improve
This page features a lot of good detail about the city but its overall organization and consolidation of information is lacking. Moreover, important topics are given space but not bright, obvious attention in the form of subheadings or other section headers (i.e Zoroastrianism).

This page seems to focus on the thoughts of others on Balkh a lot, mentioning travelers, famous figures who have visited the city, etc. How can we utilize this to help form an overall narrative of Balkh within its context as “the mother of all cities?” Is the theme of seeing Balkh as a place that traded hands contradictory to its rhetoric as memento to “Aryana” and therefore all of Afghanistan?

There is a lot of space dedicated to the Arab Conquests, perhaps the issue with this is the language throughout the subheadings… Arab stands out far more in this context than other topics that contribute more to the overall identity and understanding of Balkh.

I would like to see a lot more about the Jews of Balkh subsection, especially demographic data if possible and even a subsection on Jews in the region after the creation of the state of Israel. Also, some information on the Jews that is spread out across different subsections would work better in this heading.

Thanks and take care. Matthew Dottor (talk) 06:25, 4 May 2024 (UTC)