THE GAZAR GHAH SANCTUARY

5 km northwest of Hérât, the Sufi sanctuary of Gazar Ghah, situated on a hill, welcomes the tomb of the Sufi poet Abdullah Ansari, one of the masters of this mystical poetry and philosopher, still very revered nowadays in Afghanistan. Sufi master, philosopher and mystic poet, Abdullah Ansari lived in Hérât (1006-1088). The city worships him as a patron saint. It is based in a garden where a sanctuary has been raised. At the entrance is a statue of marble representing an animal (lion or dog). A-metre porch decorated in the timurid style dominates the site. Ansari's tomb is in blue marble; she bears versifiées inscriptions borrowed from her poetry. His sanctuary was rebuilt in 1428 by Shah Rukh during the great beautification work of the town of Hérât. At the bottom of the garden, a timurid pavilion was built at the end of the th century. Today, the Sufi community watches on the premises. It is a place of meditation. The shoes must be removed before entering the pavilion. The entrance consists of a dome whose ceiling is painted. Left of the entrance is the mosque. on the right, a stairwell leads to a piece where the hair of the Prophet Mohammed is preserved. They are kept in a small cup covered with a green fabric. Women often get there. The entrance floor is decorated with magnificent white marble slabs of various sizes, hundreds of years old, and carrelages in blue diamond. In the wall, the plates are attached to the verses of Persian poetry and verses of the Koran. The court welcomes many other graves, such as that of Amir Dost Mohammad, one of the founding fathers of Afghanistan, who died after the seizure of Hérât in 1863, or that of one of the sons of Shah Rukh. It is one of the few monuments that have escaped the destruction of war. On weekends, many of Hérât's inhabitants come to visit and relax.