Sketches of Herat. / The Citadel. / Ruins of the Masella.

Title

Sketches of Herat. / The Citadel. / Ruins of the Masella.

Description

Two pictures of Herat in Afghanistan. The upper view shows the citadel of Herat, the lower view the ruins of Masella by Herat.

c. 1863

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

Herat is the third-largest city of Afghanistan. It dates back to ancient times. During the period of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550-330 BC), the surrounding district was known as Haraiva (in Old Persian), and in classical sources the region was correspondingly known as Aria.In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the district is mentioned as Haroiva. Th.e name of the district and its main town is derived from that of the chief river of the region, the Herey River.By the early 18th century Herat was governed by various Hotaki and Abdali Afghans. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of the city and became part of the Durrani Empire. In 1824, Herat became independent for several years when the Afghan Empire was split between the Durranis and Barakzais. The Persians invaded the city in 1838, but the British helped the Afghans in repelling them. In 1856, they invaded again, and briefly managed to retake the city; it led directly to the Anglo-Persian War. In 1857 hostilities between the Persians and the British ended after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and the Persian troops withdrew from Herat.