MAZARISHARIF

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Mazar I Sharif

Also listed as Mazar-i-Sharif

VerifiedIndica-leaning
Most-cited cross
Afghan indica × Skunk #1
Breeders on record
Unknown
Median THC
12.8% · 1 tests
Total terpenes
1.13%

Commonly reported: relaxed, euphoric, happy, sleepy · tastes earthy

🧬 Look for DNA test reports on Kannapedia ↗

Type labels are reported marketing/morphology labels, not chemistry. Basis: type label.

Genetics

Family tree

Mazar I Sharif
  • AfghaniVerified
    • Afghan landrace accessions (Sensi)Verified
    • Afghan landrace accessions (Sensi)Verified
  • Skunk #1Verified
  • Verified
  • Well-supported
  • Reported
  • Folklore
  • Disputed

Bred from Mazar I Sharif

Dark StarMataro BlueEarly Pearl x Mazar-i-SharifSkywalker S1

Genetics

Lineage claims

  1. Afghan indica × Skunk #1

    Verified

    Tier A dossier mazar-i-sharif

Lab data

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoid medians for Mazar I Sharif
  • THC12.8%n=1
  • CBD0.08%n=1
  • CBN0.00%n=1

Bar = median; line = lowest to highest test. Public lab records; values vary by grower and lab.

Lab data

Terpenes

Terpene medians for Mazar I Sharif
  • Linalool0.29%n=1
  • β-Caryophyllene0.27%n=1
  • Myrcene0.25%n=1
  • Humulene0.06%n=1
  • Limonene0.05%n=1
  • Terpinolene0.05%n=1
  • α-Pinene0.04%n=1

Good for

Use cases

Use-case percentiles for Mazar I Sharif
  • Sleep93th
  • Appetite91th
  • Stress90th
  • Relaxation87th
  • Creativity71th
  • Social57th
  • Pain35th
  • Focus7th
  • Energy2th

Percentile vs. other strains, from user-reported effects plus lab terpenes. Terpene links to effects are hypotheses with weak evidence; faded bars are terpene-only.

Awards

🏆 Cannabis cup record

  • #1

    Santa Cruz Cup 2014

    Outdoor – Indica · entered by CannaCruz Collective

    reported · source

Dossier

History & sources

1. Summary

Mazar-i-Sharif is a city in Balkh Province, northern Afghanistan. Its name was a hashish trade brand before it was a seed name. A June 1984 High Times price list quotes "Mazar-I-Sharif Afghani primo" in Kabul.1 The Real Seed Company describes "Mazar-i-Sharif" as the underground brand under which smugglers sold north Afghan hashish in the 1960s–70s.2 Afghan farmers themselves use "Mazari"/"Balkhi" for a cultivated variety. In UNODC's 2009 national survey it was the most popular variety named by farmers (58%). The same report says Balkh, "once notorious for its Mazari (Balki) cannabis", saw a governor-led crackdown from 2007.3 In the West, The Seed Bank of Holland advertised "Imported Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)" from Oct 1985.45 The Real Seed Company now says that 1985 accession was actually obtained in Khyber Province, Pakistan, "a long way from Mazar-i-Sharif itself".2 The Seed Bank's own catalog author said he visited a Khyber Pass hash factory.5 Two separate questions are therefore open: whether early "Mazar" seed was really from Balkh, and whether modern Dutch "Mazar" products are landraces. Dutch Passion's "Mazar" is an Afghan × Skunk #1 hybrid, not a landrace.6 Today, documented farmer-sourced accessions exist: Real Seed Co. Mazar-i-Sharif (via a Peshawar charas and seed merchant, 2007), Mazar-i-Sharif #2 (Balkh farmer, 2022) and Balkhi (Balkh, 2019).278

2. Identity

  • Names/aliases: Mazar-i-Sharif, Mazar I Sharif, Mazari, Balkhi; hashish names "Shirak-i-Mazar" ("Milk of Mazar"); trade label "Mazar-I-Sharif Afghani".317
  • Not to be confused with: Dutch Passion "Mazar" (Afghan × Skunk #1) and its derivatives (Auto Mazar, Blue Mazar, Skywalker = Mazar × Blueberry); US "Mazar x Blueberry OG".6
  • Type as reported: indica / var. afghanica (Real Seed Co.). Real Seed Co. also says its accessions include "Indica- and Sativa types", with chemotypes from high-THC to high-CBD.78
  • Region: Balkh Province, northern Afghanistan, about 36°N.57
  • Propagation: seed (open-pollinated landrace accessions; Dutch hybrid lines).

3. Genetics & lineage claims

3a. "Mazari/Balkhi" is a named Afghan farmer variety centred on Balkh

Confidence: verified (primary UN field survey of 1,634 villages). UNODC 2009 lists farmer variety names (Mazari, Watani, several "Shadani" types, Kandahari, Spera botay…). Mazari (Balkhi) was the most popular (58%) and was grown in the north, south and west. Farmers distinguished a red-stemmed type, which they said gives better resin, from a green-stemmed type.3

3b. The Seed Bank's 1985–86 "Imported Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)" was a pure Afghani from about 36.5°N

Confidence: reported (seller's catalog claim) — competes with 3c. Seed Bank ads (Oct 1985 onward) offer "Imported Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)". The c.1986 card calls it pure Afghani at 36.5°N and offers Early Pearl × Mazar I Sharif, "heavily dominated by the Mazar i Sharif".45

3c. The 1985 catalog accession was obtained in Khyber Province, Pakistan, not Balkh

Confidence: reported (a later seed vendor's statement; no document cited). Competes with 3b. Real Seed Co.: "the accession in the 1985 catalogue … was obtained in Khyber Province, Pakistan … a long way from Mazar-i-Sharif itself." The Seed Bank's own author mentioned a Khyber Pass hash-factory visit, which fits with this but does not prove it.25

3d. Real Seed Co. accessions: Mazar-i-Sharif (2007), Balkhi (2019), Mazar-i-Sharif #2 (2022)

Confidence: verified (as the vendor's own sourcing statements; not independently checked).

  • Mazar-i-Sharif: "via Afghan charas and seed merchant, Peshawar, 2007"; fourth open-pollinated generation produced outside Afghanistan; 1–3 m; red stems and stigmas; THC to CBD chemotypes.7
  • Balkhi: "Landrace Genetics, Balkh, Northern Afghanistan (2019)"; semi-dwarf, about 2 m, spherical; citrus/lime/pine/sandalwood/burnt-rubber aromas; THC- to CBD-dominant, some THCV.8
  • Mazar-i-Sharif #2: from a hashish farmer in rural Balkh outside Mazar-i-Sharif (2022); semidwarf, bushy; October harvest. The page notes that Afghan farmers call a different, larger landrace "Mazari"/"Balkhi".2

3e. Dutch "Mazar" = original Afghan indica × special Skunk #1 phenotype

Confidence: verified (Dutch Passion's own statement about its own product).6

4. Timeline

  • Late 19th–early 20th c. — Balkh a major hashish cultivation and trade area; Bukhara hashish moved through Mazar-e Sharif to Kabul and Peshawar (AAN).9
  • 1960s–70s — "Mazar-i-Sharif" used as a smugglers' brand for north Afghan hashish (Real Seed Co.).2
  • 1977 — US cable puts Balkh hashish production at 2 tonnes (AAN).9
  • Jun 1984 — HT price list: Kabul, "Mazar-I-Sharif Afghani primo" $80/kilo.1
  • Oct 1985 – 1986 — Seed Bank ads: "Imported Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)".4
  • c.1986 — Seed Bank cards: Afghani (Mazar I Sharif) at 36.5°N; Early Pearl × Mazar I Sharif.5
  • 2007 — Real Seed Co. obtains Mazar-i-Sharif seed via a Peshawar merchant; Balkh governor's crackdown begins (UNODC).73
  • 2008 — DNA Genetics "Pure Afghan" sold as from the Mazar-i-Sharif region.10
  • 2009 — UNODC: Mazari (Balkhi) the most popular variety, 58%.3
  • 2019 / 2022 — Real Seed Co. Balkhi and Mazar-i-Sharif #2 accessions from Balkh.82

5. Seed-vendor lineage

ProductVendorCollected / sourcedConfidence
Imported Afghani (Mazar I Sharif)The Seed Bank (1985–86)not stated; later said to be Khyber, Pakistanreported452
Pure AfghanDNA Genetics (2008)"Mazar-i-Sharif region", bred outside Hollandreported (vendor claim)10
MazarDutch PassionAfghan × Skunk #1 hybridverified as claim6
Mazar-i-SharifThe Real Seed Co.Peshawar merchant, 2007; 4th OP generationverified as claim7
BalkhiThe Real Seed Co.Balkh, 2019verified as claim8
Mazar-i-Sharif #2The Real Seed Co.Balkh farmer, 2022verified as claim2
Mazari landraceIndian Landrace Exchange; Landrace Team; "Afghan Selection"not verified (retail blogs only)reported11

6. Historical descriptions by era

  • 1984: sold in Kabul as top ("primo") Afghan hashish.1
  • c.1986: pure Afghani, 36.5°N (Seed Bank).5
  • 2018–2025 (Real Seed Co.): 1–3 m outdoors; broad leaflets; red stems and stigmas; October–December harvest in Afghanistan; THC- and CBD-type plants in the same accession.78
  • 2025 grower reports: dense buds; "hashy" smell; one grower found earthy-woodsy notes with ripe lemon, later mango/melon in cure, and a clear, heady effect with less body than expected.12

7. Cannabinoid & terpene profile

Caveat: names are not chemotype identifiers. US retail data under "Mazar" is very sparse and probably mostly Dutch-hybrid derived.

  • Smith 2022: n=4 (names "Mazar", "Mazari", "Mazar-i-Sharif"); THC mean 17.7%; myrcene-dominant in 3/4.13
  • WA I-502: n=2; THC mean 15.9%.14
  • State records: "Mazar" n=4 (CA, MA, MI, 2015–2023); THC mean 16.7%.15
  • Real Seed Co. reports CBD-dominant individuals within its Balkh accessions. This fits McPartland & Small (2020) on lower THC/CBD ratios in Central Asian landraces (see afghani).78

8. Community sentiment

  • Common: nostalgia for "old school" genetics; hashy/earthy aroma; dense resinous buds; good for hash.12
  • Occasional: grower-community criticism of early harvests; the name is confused with Dutch Passion's Mazar autos, which have many posts.12
  • Score: not estimated (small sample).

9. Open questions / could not verify

  • Where the Seed Bank's 1985 "Mazar I Sharif" seed was really collected (Balkh vs Khyber), and by whom.
  • Whether the Real Seed Co. "Khyber" statement rests on a document or on oral history.
  • Landrace Team and Indian Landrace Exchange Mazar accessions: no primary vendor text opened.

10. Sources

Note: footnotes 1–12 equal src-mazar-i-sharif-001…012.

Footnotes

  1. High Times #106 (Jun 1984), world price list (OCR). https://archive.org/download/high-times-magazine-1980s_202401/106%20High%20Times%20June%201984_djvu.txt — news. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. The Real Seed Company, "Mazar-i-Sharif #2" product page, accessed 2026-10-18. https://therealseedcompany.com/product/mazar-i-sharif-mazari-balkhi-afghan-cannabis-landrace-strain-seeds/ — breeder_statement. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  3. UNODC, Afghanistan Cannabis Survey 2009 (Apr 2010), "Cannabis varieties" and executive summary. https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/Afghanistan_Cannabis_Survey_2009.pdf (read; excerpt research/raw/landraces/unodc-afghanistan-cannabis-survey-2009-varieties.txt) — book (UN survey report). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. The Seed Bank display ads, High Times #122 (Oct 1985) to #135 (Nov 1986) (OCR). https://archive.org/download/high-times-magazine-1980s_202401/122%20High%20Times%20October%201985_djvu.txt — seed_catalog. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. The Seed Bank catalog cards c.1986, High Times Mar 1987 (via catalogs/seed-bank-of-holland-historic.json). https://archive.org/download/high-times-magazine-1980s_202401/139%20High%20Times%20March%201987.pdf — seed_catalog. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  6. Dutch Passion "Mazar" and derivatives (via catalogs/dutch-passion.json). https://dutch-passion.com/en/cannabis-seeds/mazar — seed_catalog. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. The Real Seed Company, "Mazar-i-Sharif" product page, accessed 2026-10-18. https://therealseedcompany.com/product/mazar-i-sharif-landrace-strain-cannabis-seeds/ — breeder_statement. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  8. The Real Seed Company, "Balkhi" product page, accessed 2026-10-18. https://therealseedcompany.com/product/balkhi-afghan-landrace-strain-cannabis-seeds/ — breeder_statement. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  9. Bjelica J, Foschini F, "The Myth of 'Afghan Black'", AAN, 2019-01. https://afghanstudiescenter.org/?p=31973 — news. ↩ ↩2

  10. DNA Genetics "Pure Afghan", 2008 capture. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605053808/http://www.dnagenetics.com:80/online_store/dna_genetics_pure_afghan_cannabis_seeds.cfm — seed_catalog (via catalogs/dna-genetics.json). ↩ ↩2

  11. Jointcommerce strain-guide pages for Landrace Team / Indian Landrace Exchange / Afghan Selection Mazar (AI-written retail blogs). https://www.jointcommerce.com/blog/mazar-i-sharif-by-the-landrace-team-a-comprehensive-strain-guide — secondary_database — unverified_url: true. ↩

  12. Reddit r/microgrowery "Show some love for old school strains - Mazar" (1lqvoyv, 2025-07-03) and "Here is another look at the Mazar I Sharif Afghani harvest" (1prru0r, 2025-12-20), via Arctic Shift. https://www.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/comments/1prru0r/ — forum_post. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. Smith 2022 via _computed_landraces_lab_stats.json — lab_dataset (src-chem-smith2022-data). ↩

  14. WA I-502 via _computed_landraces_lab_stats.json — lab_dataset (src-chem-wa-i502-jikomes2018). ↩

  15. State lab records, name "Mazar", via _computed_current_lab_stats.json — lab_dataset (src-mazar-i-sharif-015). ↩