The historic Blue Mosque in Afghanistan was damaged by the earthquake – DW – 03/11/2025

Officials confirmed on Monday that the historic Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif was damaged by the earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan.

A video from Afghan online news site TOLOnews showed debris on the ground around the building, although the main structure remained standing.

A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred before dawn on Monday.

The Taliban government's Ministry of Culture pledged to take “immediately necessary measures to assess and repair the damage.”

The damage can be seen from the top of the mosque. Photo: Sirat Noori/AP Photo/picture Alliance

The current blue-tiled mosque and shrine of Mazar-i-Sharif, a city with a population of 523,000, dates back to the 15th century, and the site is revered by Muslims.

Originally, a shrine was built on the site in the 12th century, and is believed to be the resting place of Ali bin Abi Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

This original shrine was destroyed by the Mongol invasion in the 13th century.

The current structure was built in the 15th century. Photo: Mohamed Belblouki/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images The second earthquake in less than 6 months

The quake struck the northern part of the country just before 1 a.m. local time on Monday (8:30 p.m. GMT) about 22 kilometers from Kholm, near Mazar-e-Sharif in Palk Province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

According to authorities, at least 20 people were killed and more than 600 others were injured.

Ehsanullah Kamjar, spokesman for the police headquarters in nearby Badakhshan province, said the quake also affected that area.

Kamjar said that about 800 homes in one village in the Shahr Bozorg region were partially or completely destroyed.

He added that the lack of Internet in the remote area means that accurate numbers of victims cannot be reported.

More than ten people were killed and hundreds injured in the earthquake. Photograph: Atef Arian/AFP/Getty Images

The humanitarian group Save the Children said it had sent a team to Samangan province.

“As temperatures drop, thousands of children in the earthquake-ravaged east of the country are facing the winter with only tents for protection from rain and snow,” said Samira Syed Rahman, Save the Children’s program development and advocacy manager in Afghanistan.

The earthquake in northern Afghanistan comes just three months after the mountainous country was hit by a major earthquake in August, which struck the eastern part of the country, killing more than 2,200 people and destroying hundreds of homes.

Edited by: Zach Crellin

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