Chaghcharan
| Chaghcharan چغچران | |
|---|---|
  Chaghcharan Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 34°31′21″N 65°15′6″E / 34.52250°N 65.25167°ECoordinates: 34°31′21″N 65°15′6″E / 34.52250°N 65.25167°E | |
| Country |
 Afghanistan |
| Province | Ghor Province |
| Elevation | 2,230 m (7,320 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 15,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Chaghcharān (/tʃæɡtʃæˈrɑːn/; Persian: چغچران), also called Chakhcheran, and formerly known as Āhangarān Pashto: آهنګران), (Persian: آهنگران, is a town and district in central Afghanistan, which serves as the capital of Ghor Province. It is located on the southern side of the Hari River, at an altitude of 2,230 m above sea level.
Chaghcharan is linked by a 380-kilometre-long highway with Herat to the west and is about the same distance from Kabul to the east and is also served by Chaghcharan Airport.
It has a population of about 15,000 who are mostly Dari (Persian) speakers.
History
Medieval
Prior to the arrival of Islam the region's inhabitants practiced various different religions including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism. The Islamic conquest of Afghanistan by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni took place in the 10th century. After the defeat of the Ghaznavids in the 12th century the area came under the control of the local Ghurid dynasty of Ghor. The Ghurid Dynasty had its summer capital, Firozkoh nearby and they constructed the Minaret of Jam there. Today the Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the 13th century, the region was invaded by Genghis Khan and his Mongols barbarians who destroyed Firozkoh but left the Minaret of Jam intact. The region was then ruled by the Ilkhanate until Timur conquest in the 14th century.
Chakhcherān is mentioned by name in the 16th century Baburnama, describing Babur's visit in early 1507 while on his journey to Kabul. It was a town located in the Gharjistan region, between Herat, Ghor, and Ghazni.[1]
Modern Era
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In 2004, an independent FM radio station (Dari: راديو صداي صلح or Voice of Peace Radio) came on air in the town, the first independent media in this part of Afghanistan.
In June 2005, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) established a Lithuanian led Provincial Reconstruction Team in which Croatian, Danish, American, Ukrainian, Icelandic, and Georgian troops also served.
In February of 2013 residents of Chaghcharan protested for five days against the lack of development that has occurred in the province. The cited the lack of paved roads and electricity as their major concerns.[2]
In April 2014 protests against the Ghor Province's governor turned violent and Afghan police attacked protesters and journalists in Chaghcharan. The protesters had been calling for the resignation of the governor who they alleged "wants to divide the land [in Chaghcharan] among warlords."[3]
Demography
Approximately 15,000 people live in the town, making it the largest in the province. The main inhabitants of Chaghcharan are Aimaq, Hazaras and Tajiks(96%).[4]
Transportation
As of May 2014, Chaghcharan Airport, located northwest of the Hari River, one mile northeast of Chaghcharan, had regularly scheduled flights to Kabul and Herat.
The main road from Changhcharan runs toward Herat in the west and Kabul in the east.Due to severe weather, the road is often closed during winter and even in summer it can take three full days to drive from Chagcharan to Kabul.
Economy
Agriculture and animal husbandry are the primary economic activities in Ghor Province.[5]
Climate
Chaghcharān has a Dry Summer continental climate (Köppen Dsb), with snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation is low, and mostly falls in winter and spring.
| Climate data for Chaghcharān | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
20.6 (69.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
32.3 (90.1) |
34.6 (94.3) |
37.4 (99.3) |
35.0 (95) |
33.0 (91.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
21.0 (69.8) |
16.7 (62.1) |
37.4 (99.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) |
0.0 (32) |
8.8 (47.8) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.8 (85.6) |
28.8 (83.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
11.4 (52.5) |
3.2 (37.8) |
15.82 (60.46) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.4 (15.1) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
1.6 (34.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.8 (55) |
17.2 (63) |
19.3 (66.7) |
17.8 (64) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
6.48 (43.65) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −16.3 (2.7) |
−15.3 (4.5) |
−3.9 (25) |
2.1 (35.8) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.1 (44.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−2.8 (27) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−11.1 (12) |
−2.79 (26.98) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −44 (−47) |
−46.0 (−50.8) |
−26 (−15) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−14.6 (5.7) |
−19.5 (−3.1) |
−35 (−31) |
−46 (−50.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 30.9 (1.217) |
32.2 (1.268) |
40.0 (1.575) |
35.3 (1.39) |
20.1 (0.791) |
0.4 (0.016) |
0.1 (0.004) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.0 (0) |
11.0 (0.433) |
15.8 (0.622) |
18.1 (0.713) |
204.4 (8.049) |
| Avg. rainy days | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 27 |
| Avg. snowy days | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 32 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 70 | 71 | 66 | 56 | 49 | 39 | 34 | 32 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 64 | 51.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 146.4 | 150.2 | 198.6 | 223.9 | 320.6 | 383.9 | 389.4 | 358.0 | 344.7 | 267.7 | 217.9 | 154.7 | 3,156 |
| Source: NOAA (1968-1983) [6] | |||||||||||||
See also
References and footnotes
- ↑ Zahir ud-Din Mohammad Babur (1507). "Events Of The Year 912". Memoirs of Babur. Packard Humanities Institute. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ↑ Pajhwok news, Chaghcharan returns to normal as protests endm By Mohammad Hassan Hakimi Feb 16, 2013 - 18:17, http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/02/16/chaghcharan-returns-normal-protests-end
- ↑ Pajhwok news, Protesters want Ghor mayor, police commander sacked By Muhammad Hassan Hakimi Apr 10, 2014 - 14:49, http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/04/10/protesters-want-ghor-mayor-police-commander-sacked
- ↑ http://www.aims.org.af/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/western/ghor/chaghcharan.pdf
- ↑ Ghor Province by Naval Postgraduate School, http://www.nps.edu/Programs/CCS/Ghor/Ghor.html
- ↑ "Chakhcharan Climate Normals 1968-1983". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chaghcharan. |
- Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. (Chapter 32 - Chakhcharan to Herat)
