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City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
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A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
, subdivision_name =
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
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Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
, subdivision_name1 =
Kunduz Province
, subdivision_type2 =
District
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
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Kunduz District
, established_title = First mention
, established_date = 329 BCE
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Afghanistan Time
Time in Afghanistan is officially UTC+04:30, called Afghanistan Time or AFT. Afghanistan does not observe daylight saving time.
IANA time zone database
Afghanistan has the IANA time zone database
The tz database is a collaborative compila ...
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Main language
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Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
Dari
Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī  ...
Uzbek
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Climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
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BSk
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Kunduz (; ps, ; fa, original name: ) is a city in northern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, the capital of
Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the
7th-largest city of Afghanistan, and the largest city in northeastern Afghanistan.
Kunduz is in the historical
Tokharistan region of
Bactria, near the confluence of the
Kunduz River with the
Khanabad River. Kunduz is linked by highways with
Kabul to the south,
Mazar-i-Sharif to the west, and
Badakhshan
Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic ...
to the east. Kunduz is also linked with
Dushanbe
Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (ru ...
in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
to the north, via the Afghan dry port of
Sherkhan Bandar. This city is famous for its watermelon in Afghanistan
As of 2015, the land use of the city (within the municipal boundary) is largely agricultural (65.8% of total area). Residential land comprises nearly half of the 'built-up' land area (48.3%) with 29,877 dwellings. Institutional land comprises 17.9% of built-up land use, given that the airport is within the municipal boundary.
In 2021, the
Taliban gained control of the city during the
2021 Taliban offensive.
Etymology
Kunduz is also sometimes spelled (
romanized) as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz. The name of the city is derived from the
Persian compound, ''kohan dež'', "old/ancient fort".
History
Kunduz is the site of the ancient city of Drapsaka. It was a great centre of
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
learning and very prosperous during the 3rd century AD.
The city used to be called Walwalij
(or ''Varvarliz'') and the name ''Kuhandiz'' began to be used from the
Timurid time.
In the 18th and 19th centuries it was the capital of an
Uzbek khanate which reached its largest extent, from
Balkh to the
Pamir Mountains, during the reign of
Murad Beg (1815–1842). After Murad's death, the khanate declined and was eventually subjugated by Afghanistan in 1859. It was part of
The Great Game between the British and Russians.
In the early 20th century, between one-hundred and two-hundred thousand Tajiks and Uzbeks fled the conquest of their homeland by Russian Red Army and settled in northern Afghanistan.
In the early 20th century, under the governance of
Sher Khan Nasher, Kunduz became one of the wealthiest Afghan provinces. This was mainly due to Nasher's founding of the Spinzar Cotton Company, which continues to exist in post-war Afghanistan.
Kunduz is the most important agricultural province which produces
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
rice,
millet, and other products and obtained the nickname of "the hive of the country."
Kunduz is the centre for the northeast provinces and was captured by the
Taliban in 1997. It was the last major city held by the Taliban before its fall to US-backed
Afghan Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance, officially known as the United Islamic National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( prs, جبهه متحد اسلامی ملی برای نجات افغانستان ''Jabha-yi Muttahid-i Islāmi-yi Millī barāyi Nijāt ...
forces on 26 November 2001.
During the summer of 2015, the Taliban advanced and attacked the city, which resulted in a
battle for control of the city against Afghan forces. Tens of thousands of inhabitants were displaced internally by the fighting.
On 28 September 2015 the Taliban flag was again raised in the city center and the Taliban managed to capture the city prison and free many prisoners.
The
Afghan Armed Forces
("The land belongs to Allah, the rule belongs to Allah")
, founded = 1997
, current_form =
, branches =
* Afghan Army
* Afghan Air Force
, headquarters = Kabul
, website =
, commander-in-chie ...
counter-attacked and managed to re-capture the city in 15 days. The Taliban announced that, after achieving their objectives, they have withdrawn from the city's center.
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture s ...
, a Taliban spokesperson, said that their main object in leaving the city is to avoid civilian casualties from air raids.
In April 2018 the Afghan Air Force conducted
an airstrike that killed and injured dozens of civilians at a
religious school in Kunduz.
On 31 August 2019, the Taliban forces launched another attack on the city, setting off a major battle with local security forces.
On
19 May 2020, the Taliban killed one policeman and one civilian and injured 18 others in a motorbike bomb blast in Kunduz. On the same day, the Taliban attempted again to capture Kunduz, attacking several government posts but were repelled by the Afghan security forces. The Taliban were forced to flee the city, leaving ten dead bodies behind.
Eight Afghan soldiers and three civilians were killed and 55 others were wounded during the Taliban attack.
On 8 August 2021, the Taliban as part of their
nationwide military offensive captured Kunduz, along with Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan after heavy clashes with ANA forces.
On 8 October 2021, a militant of
ISKP detonated a suicide vest targeting shia worshippers at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque, killing 50+ people and wounding over 100.
Geography
Kunduz is strategically situated on the main north–south highway linking
Kabul to Tajikistan, and east–west
Mazar-i-Sharif to
Taloqan and
Fayzabad.
Climate
Kunduz has a
cold semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''BSk'') with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is generally low except from January to April, with summers almost always rainless.
Demographics
The city of Kunduz has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015.
Ethnic
Pashtuns comprise the largest segment, followed by
Uzbeks,
Tajiks,
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
and a few others.
Kunduz is the capital of a highly diverse province that includes significant populations of Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks,
Hazaras
The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzərə) are an ethnic group and the principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan and generally scat ...
, Arabs,
Balochis and
Turkmens.
Kunduz Arabs speak Persian and Pashto, Afghanistan's two official languages, rather than
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
. However, they claim a strong Arab identity, based on their tribal origins in
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Pl ...
. This may in fact point to the seventh-century and eighth-century migration to this and other Central Asian locales of many Arab tribes from Arabia in the wake of the Islamic conquests of the region.
Administration
Kunduz city is divided into 8 Districts ('Nahias') with a total land area of 11,206 hectares.
The most influential leader of Kunduz was
Arif Khan, who was a governor of Kunduz Province and was shot dead in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan in the year 2000. Soon after the incident his brother Haji Omar Khan took his responsibility and was appointed as the Governor of Kunduz (2000–01).
Sports
;Professional sports teams from Kunduz
Stadiums
* Kunduz Cricket Ground
* Kunduz Ground
Notable people
*
Sher Khan Nasher, chief clan of (
Ghilji)
Kharoti Nasher tribe
*
Gholam Nabi Nasher Khan (1926–2010), parliamentarian
*
Sayed Noorullah Murad
Sayed Noorullah Murad (born March 22, 1979) is an Afghan politician, military commander and member of the Afghan cabinet during the presidency of Hamid Karzai. He was born in Kunduz city in the north of Afghanistan. His father is Mawlawi Abdul Ja ...
(Afghan politician, member of federal cabinet, military commander and scholar) Imam Saheb district
*
Gulbudin Hekmatyar, Afghan political leader,
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
**Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...
politician, former
mujahideen and drug trafficker
*
Javed Ahmadi (1992–), player of the
Afghanistan national cricket team
*
Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi
Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi is an Uzbek legislator and politician from Afghanistan.
Biography
Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi was born in the Imam Sahib district of northern Kunduz Province in 1962, and is a member of the Ibrahims Clan. He finished his primary e ...
, former Afghan National Parliament Speaker
*
Farhad Darya
Farhad Darya ( Pashto/ Dari: ; born 22 September 1962) is an Afghan singer, composer and music producer who has written and composed songs in various languages.
Darya sings in various languages including mostly his native language of Persian ...
, Afghan singer
See also
*
List of cities in Afghanistan
The only city in Afghanistan with over 1 million people is its capital, Kabul. The rest are smaller cities and towns. According to the National Statistic and Information Authority of Afghanistan (NSIA), an estimated total number of people ...
*
Farhad Darya
Farhad Darya ( Pashto/ Dari: ; born 22 September 1962) is an Afghan singer, composer and music producer who has written and composed songs in various languages.
Darya sings in various languages including mostly his native language of Persian ...
*
2009 Kunduz airstrike
*
2015 Kunduz hospital airstrike
*
Kunduz Trauma Centre
*
Kunduz Airport
Kunduz Airport is located about southeast of Kunduz (also spelled Konduz), the capital of Kunduz Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population ...
*
Kunduz University
*
Battle of Kunduz (2015)
The Battle of Kunduz took place from April to October 2015 for control of the city of Kunduz, located in northern Afghanistan, with Taliban fighters attempting to seize the city and displace Afghan security forces. On 28 September 2015, the Talib ...
*
Battle of Kunduz (2016)
References
Further reading
*Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): ''An Historical Guide to Afghanistan''. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization.
*Thomas J. Barfield, The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan: Pastoral Nomadism in Transition. 1982.
External links
Kunduz Provinceby
Naval Postgraduate SchoolWelcome to Kunduz, Allauddin*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Kunduz Province
Cities in Afghanistan
Cities in Central Asia
Kunduz Province
Populated places along the Silk Road
Provincial capitals in Afghanistan
Populated places with period of establishment missing