Mazar-i-Sharīf, also known as Mazar-e Sharīf or simply Mazar, is the third-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with an estimated 500,207 residents in 2021. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the southwest and Termez, Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km from the Uzbek border.