Qala-e-Naw () is a town in Qala-e-Naw district and the capital of

Badghis province Bādghīs () is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Turkmenistan. It is considered to be one of the country's most underdeveloped provinces, with the highest poverty rate. T ...

, in north-west

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 ...

. Its population was estimated at 9,000 in 2006, of which most were Sunni

Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...

. Other significant communities include

Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

, Balochs, and

Uzbeks The Uzbeks () are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, being among the largest Turkic ethnic groups in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakhs, Kazakh and Karakalpaks, Karakalpak ...

. The city of Qala-e-Naw has a population of 64,125 people (2015) with 6 Police districts (nahias) and a total land area of 3,752 Hectares. There are 7,125 total number of dwellings in Qala-e-Naw. Qala-e-naw is the provincial capital of Badghis Province. Qala-e-Naw is a Provincial Centre located in western Afghanistan north of the Paropamisus Mountains ( Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh). Barren land accounts for 49% of the total land area and only 28% is classified as built-up. Of the built-up land, 60% is residential. District 4 has a large institutional and transportation land use as a result of the airport located there. It has a small airport, Qala i Naw Airport. On 7 July 2021, the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

began an assault on the town which culminated in defeat by Afghan forces. 69 Taliban fighters were killed, and 23 were injured. The city was captured by the Taliban on 12 August 2021, around the same time as the fall of Herat, becoming the thirteenth provincial capital to be seized as part of the wider

2021 Taliban offensive The 2021 Taliban offensive was a Offensive (military), military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and allied militants that led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the end of the nearly 20-year War in Afghanistan (200 ...

Climate

Qala i Naw has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa''), with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation mostly falls in winter and early spring. Snow is common in winter.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Badghis Province Badghis Province Provincial capitals in Afghanistan