Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish cemetery in Herat has long contained evidence of the unique cultural heritage of Afghanistan’s Jews. The cemetery is contained by four brick walls, and many gravestones, most containing Hebrew writing. It is within the Jewish quarter in the old city of Herat. Evidence of Jewish history in Herat dates back to circa 517 BC. Judeo-Persian inscriptions were found at a gravesite. Aside from this, there is evidence of at least four local cemeteries containing Jewish sections. Herat contains multiple sites specific to its Jewish community. Locals maintained the grounds, but as the Jewish population dwindled, the cemeteries fell into ruin. The Jewish cemetery in Herat is currently within the walls of private property and is supported by the Afghanistani Jewish community in the United States. The cemetery is comprised of four brick walls and a gate that marks the entrance. There are centuries of Afghanistani-Jewish ancestry within the cemetery, and gravestones are written in a myriad of ancestral languages used within the region (such as Judeo-Persian and Dara), but many include Hebrew writing. It is estimated that the cemetery contains around a thousand gravestones. In 2013, O. Gad, an Afghanistani Jew, connected with an engineer in Herat. They worked together to restore the site, as well as reinstate it as a historical site.