Traces of Alexander in Afghanistan

Alexander keeps popping up from the most unexpected corners, even from the occasional encounters on our travels.

As I was once again flipping through Robert Byron’s book The Road to Oxiana, I came across his journal entry of 20  May 1933. Byron had arrived in Bala Murghab six days after he left Herat, and headed north over the Paropamisus Mountains. The modern traveler is expected to cover the distance of some 270 km in about four hours.

Bala Murghab takes its name from the Murghab River, which is the modern name for the Margiana River. It rises in the Hindu Kush, and eventually peters out in the desert around Merv. 

Byron describes how the river seemingly runs towards a mountain wall which, upon closer look, turns out to be a pair of rocky gates crowned by a watch-tower. A strategic point that was recognized already in antiquity. After the river has passed these sentinels, Byron finds a dilapidated bridge to cross the turbulent waters of the Murghab. Initially, the construction had been propped by two stone arches, one of which had been washed away over time and replaced by a wooden suspension.

The interesting part of the story is when he says that according to the Russians, this bridge as well as the watch-tower was built by Alexander. If this is true, it may be a confirmation that the king did indeed detour to Margiana (Merv). In that case, naming the city Alexandria Margiana is entirely justified as discussed in my previous blog Merv, Alexandria Margiana.

[About the picture copied from Flickr: HERAT, Afghanistan--The view from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)mission, Nov. 30. ISAF is assisting the Afghan government in extending and exercising its authority and influence across the country, creating the conditions for stabilization and reconstruction. (ISAF Photo by TSgt Laura K. Smith)(released)]