This section covers the northwestern portion of Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance held out here when Taliban controlled the rest of Afghanistan. The main ethnic groups are Uzbek and Tajik.

The historic region of Bactria spanned territory that included parts of northern Afghanistan — Balkh was it capital — plus areas that are now in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.

Regions

Afghan sport of buzkashi, Balkh province

Official Provinces

• Balkh Province
• Jowzjan Province
• Samangan Province
• Sar-e Pol Province

Cities

• 1 Mazar-e Sharif — third-largest city of Afghanistan, home to the Shrine of Hazrat Ali also known as Blue Mosque
• 2 Balkh — today a small town, Balkh was once a powerful city known to the Ancient Greeks as Bactra.
• 3 Sheberghan — over 20,000 pieces of ancient gold jewelry and artifacts were discovered in 1979 in the village of Tillia Tepe, just outside Sheberghan.
• 4 Samangan — an ancient city founded by Eucratides I, king of Bactria, developed into a major Buddhist center during the Kushan Dynasty.

Other destinations

• 1 Salang Pass

Get in

1 Mazar-e Sharif International Airport (MZR ^IATA) - direct air connections to Kabul, Moscow, Mashad, Dubai and Istanbul. Airlines : Afghan Jet International, Ariana Afghan Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Kam Air, Safi Airways, Turkish Airlines