Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the east of Afghanistan, between the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Amu Daria River, containing the Wakhan Corridor. A part of Badakhshan is located in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan in the in south-east of the country. The capital is Faizabad. Renowned for its mineral wealth, it is the world's chief source of lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone. The deposits have been worked for more than 3,000 years. Rubies, emeralds, amethysts, and gold have also been mined. Mountain goats and the famed Marco Polo wild sheep are hunted in the province. Some agriculture and sheep and goat herding are also practiced. Badakhshan was once part of the ancient Greek kingdom of Bactria. Many of its inhabitants are Tajiks.
