Herat Citadel (Qala Iktyaruddin)

Citadel · Herat, Herat

A brick fortress the size of a city block rising from the middle of Herat on a mound occupied since at least the era of Alexander's campaigns, its present towers and ramparts largely the work of the Kart and Timurid dynasties. A meticulous Aga Khan Trust restoration completed in 2011 returned the walls, towers and Timurid tile fragments and installed the Herat National Museum inside. The October 2023 earthquakes cracked sections of the walls; official accounts say reinforcement is done, while 2026 local reports describe continuing damage.

Citadel mound, old city, Herat, Herat, Afghanistan

Roughly 8 am to late afternoon daily with local variation and closures around Friday prayers; the museum keeps shorter hours than the fortress. Nothing is published — verify at the gate.

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