Sar-i Sang
town in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan
Sar-i Sang (or Sar-e Sang) (lit. "stone summit" in Persian) is a settlement in the Kuran Wa Munjan District of Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, famous for its ancient lapis lazuli mines producing some of the world's finest lapis. It is located in the Kokcha valley.
Lapis lazuli mines
The Sar-i Sang lapis lazuli mine probably dates from prehistoric times. It consists of one old disused shaft and two new shafts. This was the main source of lapis lazuli in the ancient world, with lapis from here occurring in such famous archaeological discoveries as the Royal Treasure of Ur and the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
See also
Mount Imeon
References
Warwick Ball, 2008, 'The Monuments of Afghanistan: History, Archaeology and Architecture': 261, I.B. TAURIS, London, ISBN 978-1-85043-436-8.
Warwick Ball, 1982, 'Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan': Volume I: 1001.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Sar-i Sang” as town in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as town in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q941919. VIAF identifies the subject as 136030795. The Library of Congress control number is n79094922. Authority coordinates are 36.210, 70.793. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008, 1982 and 1001.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sar-i Sang”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sar-i Sang primary sources, Sar-i Sang archive and Sar-i research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sar-i Sang”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sar-i Sang” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.