Cheshmeh-ye Shafa

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Cheshmeh-ye Shafa
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Cheshmeh-ye Shafa
Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 36°32′0″N66°58′0″E / 36.53333°N 66.96667°E / 36.53333; 66.96667
CountryFlag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan
Province Balkh Province
Time zone + 4.30

Cheshmeh-ye Shafa or Cheshm-e-Shafa (English: "the gorge of the healing spring") is a village in Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan. [1]

Contents

In October 2008, the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA) believed they have found a vast ancient city of Bactria. [2] It is believed that the site could be where Alexander the Great married Bactrian princess Roxana. [3]

It is located 30 km south of Balkh.

Tangi Cheshmeh Shafa is Afghanistan's largest Achaemenid site discovered to date. It spans about 3 km square. The site dates back to 500-600 BC. [3] In the oasis, a huge white rock, shaped like an anvil, is evidence of Zoroastrian priests that performed rituals for people who lived in the region around 600 BC. On the altar's flat top is a well for oil. [4]

See also

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References

  1. "NGA GeoName Database". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  2. NBC News
  3. 1 2 "History in Stone". Washington Examiner. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  4. "Silk Road jewel reveals its treasures". BBC News. 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2020-03-15.