The name of the district and its principal town is a derivative from that of the local river, the Herey River (from Old Iranian Harayu, meaning 'with velocity'), which goes through the district and ends 5В km (3.1В mi) south of Herat. In the Zoroastrian collection of Avesta, the district is referred as Haroiva. Under the Persian Achaemenid Empire (550вЂ“330 BC), the surrounding district was known by the Old Persian name of Haraiva (рђЏѓрђЋјрђЋЎрђЋє), and in classical sources, the region was correspondingly known as Areia ( Aria). Herat is first recorded in ancient times, but its precise date of foundation is unknown.

Reconstruction of Ptolemy's map (2nd century AD) of Aria (Herat) and neighbouring states by the 15th century German cartographer Nicolaus Germanus On 12 August 2021, the city was seized by Taliban fighters as part of the Taliban's summer offensive. In 2021, it was announced that Herat would be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following the 2001 war the city had been relatively safe from Taliban insurgent attacks. As the gateway to Iran, it collects high amount of customs revenue for Afghanistan. The roads from Herat to Iran (through the border town of Islam Qala) and Turkmenistan (through the border town of Torghundi) are still strategically important. It became an independent city-state in the first half of the 19th century, facing several Iranian invasions until being incorporated into Afghanistan in 1863. After Nader Shah's death and Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power in 1747, Herat became part of Afghanistan. They were conquered by the Afsharids in 1732. In 1716, the Abdali Afghans inhabiting the city revolted and formed their own Sultanate, the Sadozai Sultanate of Herat. After the fall of the Timurid Empire, Herat has been governed by various Afghan rulers since the early 18th century. Under the rule of Shah Rukh the city served as the focal point of the Timurid Renaissance, whose glory matched Florence of the Italian Renaissance as the center of a cultural rebirth.

After the conquest of Tamerlane, the city became an important center of intellectual and artistic life in the Islamic world. During the Middle Ages Herat became one of the important cities of Khorasan, as it was known as the Pearl of Khorasan. The city has a number of historic sites, including the Herat Citadel and the Musalla Complex. Herat dates back to Avestan times and was traditionally known for its wine. An ancient civilization on the Silk Road between the Middle East, Central and South Asia, it serves as a regional hub in the country's west, and its historic Persian influences has given it the nickname as Afghanistan's Little Iran. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains ( Selseleh-ye SafД“d KЕЌh) in the fertile valley of the Hari River in the western part of the country. HerДЃt ( / h Й› Л€ r Й‘Лђ t/ Dari/ Pashto: Щ‡Ш±Ш§ШЄ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan.

Defense of the oasis