Rabia Balkhi’s Tomb, The First Persian Poetess
This sarcophagus is believed to hold the remains of the first woman who wrote poems in Persian language. Rābi’a Balkhī (d.943) was born in Balkh, northern Afghanistan, where Rumi is considered to be born (but recent studies show that Rumi was actually born in Wakhsh, Tajikistan). Rabia was a victim of honor killing by her brother Hareth. After her death, all her poems were destroyed by her brother, but only eleven ghazal of her survived. Her tomb has become a spiritual place for Sufis of different orders in the north.