Zuhak, Bamyan

Shahr-e Zuhak (Zuhak City)
Native name Dari: شهر ضحاک
Location	Bamyan, Afghanistan

Part of a series on
Hazaras
Hazara people list of Hazarajat region Language Culture Diaspora Persecutions Flag Nationalism Tribes Cuisine
Politics Writers Poets Military Religion Sports Battles
WikiProject Category Commons
v t e

Shahr-e Zuhak or Zuhak City (Dari: شهر ضحاک), also known as The Red City, is a historic city ruins in Bamyan, Afghanistan which was once home to 3,000 people. The fortress is believed to have been founded between 500-600 AD by the Hephthalites, around the same time as the Buddhas of Bayman were created.^[1] The city lies at the easternmost point of the Bamyan valley, above the confluence of the Kunduz and Kalu Ganga rivers. The valley used to be a part of a route connecting Europe to India and China.

Zuhak was fortified during the Islamic period (10th - 13th Century), under the rule of the Ghaznavid and Ghorid dynasties. The fortress was later ransacked by Genghis Khan and his army during the Mongol siege of Bayman, as a part of the greater invasion of the Khwarazmian Empire.

The fortress was protected by ramparts, built along the steep cliffs bounding the site, which were equipped with several watchtowers, some of which still stand today. The citadel was protected by three more orders of walls and was located on the topmost part of the hill. Due to prolonged exposure and a lack of conservation, exacerbated by recent periods of war, many of the structures on the site have collapsed or are prone to collapse.^[2]

See also

• Shahr-e Gholghola

References

This article about the history of Afghanistan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This Bamyan Province, Afghanistan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This page was last edited on 14 November 2023, at 19:46