One or two days are enough for most visitors. That allows time for Takht-e Rostam on the edge of town, a walk through the bazaar and along the Khulm River, and a drive north toward the Hazar Som cave valley. Many travelers combine Aybak with Mazar-i-Sharif or Balkh.

Yes, in everyday speech they are the same place. Aybak, also spelled Aibak or Haibak, is the capital of Samangan Province, and many people simply call the town Samangan. In antiquity it was known by the Greek name Eukratidia. Maps and road signs may use any of these names.

The name comes from legend, not from its builders. Buddhist monks carved the stupa and monastery in the Kushano-Sasanian period. After their purpose was forgotten, locals linked the site to the Shahnameh, where the hero Rostam visits the king of Samangan and meets Princess Tahmina.