Turkey to restore Mawlana Balkhi father’s khanqah in Balkh

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) will restore the khanqah (Sufi lodge) attributed to Mawlana Balkhi’s father in northern Balkh province.

Deputy Director of TİKA, Umid Naji Yorulmaz, met with Balkh Governor Mawlawi Mohammad Yousaf Wafa, Haji Zaid, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Yorulmaz said the agency will also build a men’s mosque and a women’s mosque alongside the khanqah restoration.

He highlighted that TİKA had implemented 1,700 projects across Afghanistan in education, health, agriculture, culture, social development sectors and aid for vulnerable groups, with more than 700 projects completed in the northern provinces.

Governor Wafa, expressing gratitude for Turkey’s support, described the country as a brother and cultural partner of Afghanistan, emphasizing the strong cultural and spiritual ties between the two nations. He added that restoring Mawlana Balkhi’s father’s khanqah is part of preserving the shared heritage of the Islamic world.

Wafa also called for the expansion of projects concerning water supply, construction of standard hospitals, roads, mosques and support for returning refugees.

A committee was previously formed under the governor’s directive to oversee the construction and restoration of the khanqah.

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