Scars in the Blue Mosque Reveal Afghanistan’s Rifts

The Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif trembled and teetered in the early hours of Monday when a 6.3-magnitude quake struck northern Afghanistan. It shed countless turquoise, indigo and lapis tiles, and parts of its minarets collapsed. Others are filled with cracks and splits.

Nobody appeared to be injured or killed nearby — the quake struck just before 1 a.m. And yet, the damaged complex has become a symbol of sorts for a bruised nation and the catastrophes it has faced this year.

Before the earthquake struck on Monday, Afghanistan was already reeling from billions of lost aid money, military clashes with neighboring Pakistan and the threat of all-out war, and another deadly earthquake in August.

At least 26 people died in the quake, primarily in Balkh and Samangan provinces, near the border with Uzbekistan; more than 1,100 others were injured, and hundreds of buildings were destroyed, according to the Afghan authorities and the World Health Organization.

Like Afghanistan, the Blue Mosque is still standing. But, like the country, it is increasingly weakened and frail, with hopes of reconstruction dimming by the day.

“The Blue Mosque has the dignity of a mother for us in Mazar, but this mother is becoming poorer day by day,” said Naqib Ahmad Lawang, 25, a shoemaker who has a street stall in front of the mosque.