Religious Building · Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Blue Mosque
The Mausoleum of Imam Ali, also known as the Blue Mosque, is a mausoleum and mosque complex located in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital and largest city of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan. Built 1481.
Photo: Sgt. Kimberly Lamb (U.S. Armed Forces) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious Building |
| Built | 1481 |
| Coordinates | 36.7083° N, 67.1111° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Blue Mosque is known for
The Mausoleum of Imam Ali, also known as the Blue Mosque, is a mausoleum and mosque complex located in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital and largest city of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan.
About Blue Mosque
The Mausoleum of Imam Ali, also known as the Blue Mosque, is a mausoleum and mosque complex located in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital and largest city of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan. It is a popular tourist attraction in the middle of the city, which is visited all year long by all people regardless of religion or sect. The complex purportedly houses the tomb of Caliph Ali, also known as the first Imam of Shia Muslims (r. 656–661).
History
The earliest surviving source stating Ali to be buried in Balkh is of the Andalusian traveller Abu Hamid al-Gharnati (d. 1170). Abd al-Ghafur Lari wrote that Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Shia imam, assigned Abu Muslim the task of transferring Ali's body to Khurasan, though this is likely apocryphal. The land around the site was formerly a memorial mosque dedicated to Ali al-Balkhi, a Hanafi Muslim scholar and statesman who died in the same place.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Mazar-i-Sharif |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (MZR) |
| Distance from the airport | 5.4 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (MZR) · Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan · 5.5 miles away
- Bokhtar International Airport (KQT) · Bokhtar, Tajikistan · 125.3 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Afghanistan
More religious buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Blue Mosque?
The Mausoleum of Imam Ali, also known as the Blue Mosque, is a mausoleum and mosque complex located in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital and largest city of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan.
Where is Blue Mosque located?
Blue Mosque is in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Its coordinates are 36.7083° N, 67.1111° E.
How do I get to Blue Mosque?
The nearest town is Mazar-i-Sharif, and the nearest airport is Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (MZR), about 5.4 miles away (straight line).
When was Blue Mosque built?
Blue Mosque was built 1481.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Imam_Ali — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138388 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.