Local sources in Balkh Province say the Taliban have demolished the historic Bayhaqi Bookstore building in Mazar-e-Sharif as part of a plan to construct a commercial market.
According to the sources, the site previously belonged to the provincial Department of Information and Culture before being transferred to the Taliban-run municipality.
The sources said municipal authorities demolished the Bayhaqi Bookstore and at least 22 adjacent shops on Thursday after giving shop owners only one day to remove their belongings.
According to the available information, the Taliban have announced plans to build a commercial market on the site. Sources further claim that demolition work began before the construction contract for the project had been formally awarded.
The Taliban-run municipality is also reportedly planning to demolish the nearby Salam telecommunications office and the local post office, and has ordered both facilities to vacate the area.
The Bayhaqi Bookstore was widely regarded as one of Mazar-e-Sharif’s cultural landmarks. Featuring Islamic architecture, blue-tiled decoration and miniature-style ornamentation that complemented the nearby Shrine of Hazrat Ali complex, the building was believed by experts to be nearly a century old.
The Human Rights Activists Union condemned the demolition, describing it as part of a broader and worrying trend of destroying Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. The organization warned that the loss of the building represents the destruction of an important part of Mazar-e-Sharif’s historical memory and cultural identity.
The Taliban have not officially commented on the reports or the criticism surrounding the demolition. The claims made by local sources have not been independently verified.
