ABSTRACT
The vast expanse of mountains and desert that makes up western Afghanistan is dominated economically and culturally by the city of Herat. This ancient city, an important market center, is situated in a large riverine oasis nearly 130 kilometers in length that is dotted with cultivated fields and villages. Supposedly founded by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C., Herat later became part of the area then known as Khurasan, which reached its peak of civilization in the twelfth century.
