The Citadel of Herat (Persian: ??? ?????, Pashto ?????? ???), also known as the Citadel of Alexander, and locally known as Qala Iktyaruddin (Persian: ???? ????????????), is located in the center of Herat in Afghanistan. It dates back to 330 BCE, when Alexander the Great and his army arrived to what is now Afghanistan after the Battle of Gaugamela. Many empires have used it as a headquarters in the last 2,000 years, and was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. This historic citadel was saved from demolition in the 1950s, and was excavated and restored by UNESCO between 1976 and 1979. From decades of wars and neglect, the citadel began to crumble but in recent years several international organizations decided to completely rebuild it. The National Museum of Herat is also housed inside the citadel, while the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture is the caretaker of the whole premises.