Masjed-Jameh (mosque) of Herat city, western Afghanistan. The photo shows one of the columns of western Shabestan. Shabestan (=nightland) is part of a mosque for sleeping or nocturnal prayers. Despite of three decades of war in Afghanistan, the historcial heritage of Herat, especially this mosque, has survived and looks still the same as on this photo from 1970. You find photos from Herat of today and the mentioned mosque under www.flickr.com/herat.