Takhar
تخار
Province
From the top, Warsaj District, View from atop a hill in Khawajah Bahawuddin, Darqad District
Map of Afghanistan with Takhar highlighted
Map of Afghanistan with Takhar highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 36°42′N 69°48′E / 36.7°N 69.8°E / 36.7; 69.8
Country Afghanistan
CapitalTaloqan
Government
 • GovernorMawlawi Zia ur Rahman Madani [1]
 • Deputy GovernorHaji Kazim[2]
 • Police ChiefHabibullah Shakir [3]
Area
 • Total12,333 km2 (4,762 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total1,113,173
 • Density90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Main languagesPersian
Websitehttp://takhar.gov.af/en/
Persian language

Takhar (Dari/Pashto: تخار) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlan and Kunduz in the west. The city of Taloqan serves as its capital. The province contains 17 districts, over 1,000 villages, and approximately 1,113,173 people,[4] which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society.[5]

History

Early history

7th to 16th centuries

16th to 20th centuries

Between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the Khanate of Bukhara.

It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty of friendship was reached in or about 1750, and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty and was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan wars that were fought in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

1964–2001

It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar. During the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War, the area fell under the influence of Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud. It was controlled by the Northern Alliance in the 1990s. It experienced some fighting between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban forces. Takhar holds notoriety as the location where Mujahideen Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated on 9 September 2001 by suspected al-Qaeda agents.

2001–2021

Following the September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, and amidst the United States' intervention, General Mohamad Daud and General Shajahan Noori, both widely recognized figures, played instrumental roles in leading the Afghanistan government forces to reclaim control of the northeastern province from the Taliban.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took over security responsibility of the area in the early 2000s, which was led by Germany. The province also began to see some developments and the establishment of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). In a small incident in July 2008, the Afghan National Police killed Mullah Usman when several armed Taliban militants under his command raided a police checkpoint in the Kalafgan district. This was the first time since the fall of Taliban regime in 2001 that the Taliban insurgents engaged police in this province. Mullah Usman was the most senior Taliban commander in the northeast region of Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry.[6]

In May 2009, Taliban insurgents fighting Afghan government attacked the Baharak district in Takhar province.[7] A bomb attack on 28 May 2011 killed General Shahjahan Noori, Mohammed Daud Daud and injured Governor Taqwa. Several German soldiers and Afghans were also killed.[8][9]

In April 2012, the water supply at the Rostaq district's school for girls was poisoned by unknown insurgents, sickening at least 140 Afghan schoolgirls and teachers ranging in age from 14 to 30, causing them to be hospitalized and some to partially lose consciousness, though there were no deaths as a result of the incident.[10]

During the 2021 Taliban offensive, Takhar Province experienced attacks as the withdrawal of US troops took place. In response, Mohibullah Noori emerged as a prominent figure, leading the second resistance to support security forces and prevent the Taliban from taking control of Taluqan city. Despite the Taliban eventually gaining control of the province on August 8, 2021, the Resistance Forces have remained present in the area.

2015 earthquake

On 26 October, the 7.5 Mw Hindu Kush earthquake shook northern Afghanistan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). This earthquake destroyed almost 30,000 homes, left several hundred dead, and more than 1,700 injured.[11]

Demographics

Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan
Districts of Takhar

As of 2021, the total population of the province is about 1,113,173[4] which is mostly tribal and a rural society. The main inhabitants of Takhar province are majority Tajiks and Uzbeks with a sizeable Pashtun minority. Other smaller ethnic groups include Hazaras, Gujars and Balochi.

District information

Districts of Takhar Province
District Capital Population[4] Area
in km2		 Pop.
density		 Number of villages and ethnic groups
Baharak34,9423799274 villages. 83% Uzbek, 10% Pashtun, 5% Tajik, 2% Hazara.[12]
Bangi39,7254349259 villages. 80% Uzbek, 10% Tajik, 6% Hazara, 4% Pashtun.[13]
Chah Ab90,01183310863 villages. 97% Tajik, 3% Uzbek.[14]
Chal31,8854047958 villages. 55% Uzbek, 38% Tajik, 6% Hazara, 1% Pashtun, 1% Gujar.[15]
Darqad30,4243109834 villages. Predominantely Uzbek, few Tajik.
Dashti Qala36,13731411549 villages. 70% Uzbek, 25% Tajiks, 5% Pashtuns[16]
Farkhar53,0511,3064175 villages. 94% Tajik, 5% Hazara, 1% other.[17]
Hazar Sumuch15,5452655928 villages. Predominantely Pashtun, few Turkmen, Tajik, Uzbek.
Ishkamish66,69594870103 villages. 40% Tajik, 30% Uzbek, 20% Pashtun, 10% Gujar.[18]
Kalafgan39,8585267642 villages 95% Uzbek, 2% Hazara, 2% Tajik, 1% Pashtun.[19]
Khwaja Bahauddin26,30618214425 villages. Predominantely Uzbek.
Khwaja Ghar76,13240418862 villages. 70% Uzbek, 20% Pashtun, 10% Tajik, <1% Hazara.[20]
Namak Ab13,8174313228 villages. 100% Tajik.
Rustaq186,1441,824102179 villages 50% Uzbek, 50% Tajiks, <1% Pashtun, <1% Baloch[21]
TaluqanTaluqan258,72483331140% Uzbek, 40% Tajik, 10% Pashtun, 5% Hazara, 5% others[22]
Warsaj42,9142,6681694 villages. 100% Tajik.[23]
Yangi Qala50,78236014164 villages 65% Uzbeks, 18% Pashtun, 15% Tajik, 2% Hazara.[24]
Takhar 1,093,092 12,458 88 46.0% Uzbeks, 42.1% Tajiks, 8.0% Pashtuns, 2.1% Hazaras, 0.6% Gujar, <0.1% Balochi, <0.1% Turkmens, 1.2% others.[note 1]
  1. ↑ Note: "Predominantely" or "dominated" is interpreted as 99%, "majority" as 70%, "mixed" as 1/(number of ethnicities), "minority" as 30% and "few" or "some" as 1%.

Economy

Agriculture and mining are the main industries of the province. Takhar has coal reserves which are being exploited by hand in some villages and sold in the region. The local population considers gold the most relevant resource for the Province. Gold is being washed in Takhar River, and about 2 kg are being transported to the specific weekly markets in the city of Taloqan. Also the city is a main source of construction materials like: loam, sand, and different types of stones. Takhar province is known for its salt mountains and you can find large deposits of fine salt in the region. The Takcha Khanna salt mine is one of the growing number of salt supplier, for the population of Takhar and northern Afghanistan. While the mines offer economic opportunities in the region, the availability of iodized salt considerably reduces the prevalence of health problems related to iodine deficiency.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ کاکړ, جاويد هميم (14 March 2022). "سرپرست حکومت په وزارتونو، ولایتونو او قول اردو ګانو کې نوې ټاکنې وکړې".
  2. ↑ "جمهور - تعیینات جدید از سوی رهبر طالبان انجام شد". 14 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "د نږدې شلو ولایاتو لپاره نوي والیان او امنیې قوماندانان وټاکل شول". 7 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22" (PDF). National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Takhar provincial profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Takhar police kill Taliban commander"
  7. ↑ "Taliban attack district in NE Afghanistan". Military-world.net. 24 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Three German soldiers die in Afghan attack". Thepeninsulaqatar.com. 29 May 2011. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Gambrell, Jon (29 May 2011). "Taliban suicide bomb hits Afghan governor's complex". Boston.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. ↑ Masoud Popalzai (17 April 2012). "Extremists poison schoolgirls' water, Afghan officials say". CNN. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  11. ↑ USGS. "M7.5 - 45 km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan". United States Geological Survey.
  12. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140718011651/http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/baharak.pdf
  13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027174122/http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/bangi.pdf
  14. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140718023125/http://aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/chah_ab.pdf
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027172931/http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/chal.pdf
  16. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027185616/http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/dashti_qala.pdf
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027180541/http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/farkhar.pdf
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027183102/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/ishkamish.pdf
  19. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027182023/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/kalafgan.pdf
  20. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027182023/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/khwaja_ghar.pdf
  21. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027175153/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/rustaq.pdf
  22. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027180605/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/taluqan.pdf
  23. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027175217/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/warsaj.pdf
  24. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051027184217/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/northern/takhar/yangi_qala.pdf
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