The Hazrat-i-Ali shrine is the main architectural site in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, in Afghanistan. The shrine, also called the Blue Mosque, was covered with earth to escape destruction by Genghis Khan in 1220. It remained lost until it was uncovered during rebuilding work in the 1480s. The holy site is one of the best-known mosques in the Muslim world. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Blue Mosque to pray every day. (MICHAEL KAPPELER —AFP/GETTY IMAGES)