Faizabad (Afghanistan)

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فیض‌آباد
Faizabad
Faizabad (Afghanistan)
Faizabad (37 ° 7 ′ 6 ″ N, 70 ° 34 ′ 39 ″ E)
Faizabad
Coordinates 37 ° 7 '6 "  N , 70 ° 34' 39"  E Coordinates: 37 ° 7 '6 "  N , 70 ° 34' 39"  E
Basic data
Country Afghanistan

province

Badakhshan
District Faizabad
ISO 3166-2 AF-BDS
height 1200 m
surface 7 km²
resident 38,600 (2020)
density 5,514.3  Ew. / km²
politics
Mayor Nazri Mohammad
Aerial view of Faizabad
Aerial view of Faizabad

Faizabad (also Feyzabad, Fayz Abad; Persian فیض‌آباد, DMG Fayż-Ābād ) is the capital of Badakhshan Province . Faizabad is relatively centrally located in the northern half of the part of Badakhshan Province that is part of the Afghan heartland.

geography

Faizabad is at an altitude of about 1200  m ; the mountains in the vicinity are about 800 m higher with a height of up to 2000  m . The Koktscha River flows through and divides the urban area; north of the river is the old town, south of the new town.

story

Badakhshan, which once belonged to the Hellenistic kingdom of Bactria / Bactria , became an Uzbek, independent principality in 1657. From 1822 to 1859 it was a tribute to Kunduz , after which it became part of Afghanistan and remained so, apart from a few interruptions. The boundaries of this province were laid down in the Anglo-Russian Agreement of 1873. In 1895 the Pyanj River was established as part of the border between Afghan and Russian Badakhshan.

After the Russian invasion, Faizabad was occupied by Soviet troops in 1980 and became a Soviet garrison town.

As part of the civil wars after the Russians withdrew, Faizabad was the seat of government of the internationally recognized Rabbani government from 1996 to 2001 , after they had fled the Taliban from Kabul . The region around Faizabad was never occupied by the Taliban at the time.

Since the summer of 2004, a PRT ( Provincial Reconstruction Team ) has been operated by the German Armed Forces with the support of Mongolian armed forces as part of the International Security Assistance Force ISAF in Faizabad . The management of the PRT was handed over to the Afghan authorities at the end of 2011.

On August 11, 2021, the city was captured by the Taliban.

See also: History of Afghanistan

Ethnicities and religions

The predominant ethnic groups are Tajiks and Uzbeks . There are also a few Pashtuns and Turkmens.

The religion is Islam , the majority of the faiths are Sunnis , but also Shiites and Ismailis . The predominant language is Dari (Persian).

business

Despite its rich mineral resources, Badakhshan Province is the poorest in Afghanistan with an average life expectancy of 47 years. It only takes first place in terms of poppy cultivation . The world's largest deposits of the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli , which have been mined for 3000 years, are found here. Furthermore, there are mines in which rubies , emeralds , amethysts and gold are mined. Mountain goats and the famous Pamir Argali (Marco Polo wild sheep) are hunted in the mountains . In addition, agriculture and cattle breeding (sheep, goats, horses) are practiced and traditionally poppy seeds and cannabis are grown.

The city's markets are surprisingly diverse, with goods ranging from staples to consumer electronics and jewelry. The prices for goods brought into the city by land are on average a little higher than the prices in Kunduz , presumably because of the transport costs. The same goes for B. for building materials.

traffic

"Feyzabad International Airport"

From Faizabad an important road leads west to Kunduz. It is the main connection to the rest of Afghanistan via the Chenar-e-Gonjeshkan pass (1600 m). The journey to Kunduz (via Talokhan) takes at least 12 hours with a distance of 260 km. Due to the weather, the route is temporarily impassable. To the east, the road continues into the Wakhan Corridor towards the People's Republic of China. In the meantime (mid-2010) a new, continuously asphalted road is almost completed, so that the travel time is reduced to about a third (approx. 4–4½ hours)

Since the beginning of 2010 there has been no more commercial air traffic to and from Faizabad. The former "International Airport" west of the city is regularly served by UN planes three times a week. In addition, there are irregular flights with aircraft operated by aid organizations and the military.

The main traffic routes in the city are one street each on the south and north banks of the river, which can also be used by trucks bypassing the city center. The city center itself is only partially accessible with off-road vehicles. A transition of the kookcha is possible in a total of three places.

The state bus company Millie-Bus (translated “Volksbus”) operates a bus ring line that connects the old and new towns. The traffic junction is the central marketplace at the police headquarters, where there are also taxi ranks.

Public facilities

State institutions

Police station in Faizabad
  • Faizabad provincial hospital with general hospital, women's hospital, malaria and leishmaniasis center and nursing school
  • Police Headquarters

Educational institutions

  • several elementary and middle schools

Leisure and sports facilities

See also

View from the northeast of the old town

climate

Faizabad is located north of the Hindu Kush and offers a mix of continental and high mountain climates .

The mean daytime temperature is around 0 ° C in winter and 25 ° C in summer. In individual cases it can get down to −20 ° C in winter, but also almost 55 ° C in summer.

Most of the precipitation occurs in the months of January and April (30 mm to 60 mm), the least between June and October (up to 5 mm). An average of 270 mm falls per year.

Faizabad is a malaria area from March to October .

sons and daughters of the town

  • Burhanuddin Rabbani (1940–2011) was the political leader of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan

Organizations

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations (IOs) are rather sparsely represented compared to the other provinces. This includes:

State aid organizations (GOs) in Faizabad:

Web links

Commons : Faizabad  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christoph Ehrhardt: Not without my mujahideen. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . November 30, 2011, accessed December 1, 2011 .
  2. ↑ Bundeswehr passes Feisabad the Afghans. In: The time . January 24, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2012 .
  3. ↑ with Taliban conquistan Faizabad, capital otra de provincia de Afganistán . Deutsche Welle, August 11, 2021.