Chakhansur ( Balochi: ,

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

: ) is a district in the

Nimruz Province Nimruz or Nimroz (Balochi language, Balochi: ; Dari, Pashto language, Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran and nor ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. It has a population of about 11,165 as of 2004, which includes Baloch that form the majority followed by

Tajik Tajik, Tajikistan or Tajikistani may refer to. Someone or something related to Tajikistan: Tajik * Tajiks, an ethnic group in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan * Tajik language, the official language of Tajikistan * Tajik alphabet, Alphabet u ...

, and

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

ethnic groups. The economy is primarily based on agriculture, and availability of the water necessary for irrigation depends on the status of the

Sistan Basin The Sistan Basin is an inland endorheic basin encompassing large parts of southwestern Afghanistan and minor parts of southeastern Iran. It is one of the driest regions in the world and an area subject to prolonged droughts. Its watershed is a ...

, an

endorheic basin An endorheic basin ( ; also endoreic basin and endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water (e.g. rivers and oceans); instead, the water drainage flows into permanent ...

which periodically becomes dry. This area of Afghanistan was a major

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

cultural hub on the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

but most ancient structures are now covered by sand. Signs of historical irrigation systems, including canals, are still visible in the Chakhansur area while elsewhere canals are filled with

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension (chemistry), suspension with water. Silt usually ...

and agricultural fields buried by shifting sand. The area is relatively sparsely populated. There continue to be problems with water control and periodic flooding and drought.

Ibrahim Khan Sanjrani Fort Ibrahim Khan Sanjrani Fort ( Balochi: ) is located in Nimruz Province, Chakhansur District, Afghanistan. The fort made of mud, clay and wood is believed to have a 400-year history. History The fort is reported to belong to the Sanjrani Chiefd ...

is located in this district. In 2004 the Chakhansur farmers had been experiencing a severe and long term drought. Even with help from the World Food Program, perhaps as many as 20,000 have abandoned their homes, to search for water and jobs elsewhere.

Footnotes

External links

Satellite view of Chakhansur

Dust storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan

From Wetland to Wasteland: The Destruction of the Hanoum Oasis
Districts of Nimruz Province {{Nimruz-geo-stub

See also

Footnotes

External links