Kunduz

Kunduz کندز
City
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Kunduz Province
District	Kunduz District
Elevation	397 m (1,302 ft)
Population  (2002)
• Total	95,000
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time)

Kunduz (Template:Lang-ps; Template:Lang-fa) also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north. In the 1979 census, Kunduz had a population of 53,251 people, which is now estimated to have risen to 95,000 (2002 official estimate). Kunduz is located at 36.73°N, 68.86°E, at an elevation of 397 meters above sea level.

Etymology

The name of the city is derived from Persian compound, kuhan/quhan diz, "old/ancient fort." Interestingly, until 1960s, the city served as the capital to the now-defunct province of Qataqan, itself meaning "Old/Ancient city" (from Turkic kata ("old/ancient') and Persian kand/qand/qan ("city").

History

Kunduz is the site of the ancient city of Drapsaka. It was a great center of Buddhist learning and very prosperous during the 3rd century AD.

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 was the last major city held by the Taliban before its fall to US-backed Afghan Northern Alliance forces on November 26, 2001. The siege of Kunduz lasted two weeks which allowed over a thousand people, including Al Qaeda, Taliban, and Pakistani army officers, to be safely airlifted into Pakistan in the so-called Airlift of Evil.

Kunduz is the most important agricultural province which produces wheat, rice, millet, and other products and obtained the nickname of "the hive of the country." Kunduz is the centre for the north east provinces, and was the stronghold of the Taliban during its regime. The city is strategically important because it is the only way connecting Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, which play a critical role in the existing government.

Ethnography

Several different ethnic groups live in the city, namely the Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Arabs. The arrival of the Pashtun tribes into the region are of relatively recent date, stretching back only into the early 19th century. But this has been a trend in all of Afghanistan where the Pashtun tribe loyal to the rulers in Kabul had been sent to distant regions of Afghanistan to act as margraves of the Kingdom of Afghanistan. Emir Abdur Rahman Khan was most active in this regard when he sent tens of thousands of Pashtun tribesmen into northern Afghanistan and the Amu Darya basin in the 1880s and 1890s to colonize the region. The Kunduz "Arabs" are all Persian-speaking and have been so since time immemorial. However, they claim an Arab identity. There are other such Persian-speaking "Arabs" to the north and west, between Kholm, Mazar-i Sharif and Shibarghan. Their self-identification as Arabs is largely based on their tribal identity and may in fact point to the 7th and 8th centuries 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 is a beautiful province in the northeast part of Afghanistan. Kunduz is one of the most strategic town in the region as it connects to important boarder of Tajikistan and the only way of communication of Badakhshan and Takhar with rest of the country. Due to ethnic composition Kuduz remains one of the political target for central government and anti-government elements. It always has serve the interest of both for communication and mobilization of political activity. Kunduz is very famous for it's mellon and other corps special rice. The German PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) is stationed in Kunduz with other NGOs. Compare to other provinces Kunduz has remained underdevelop and backword due to inactive provincial governmental elite in power.

Notable people

• Javed Ahmadi (1992-), current Afghanistan national cricket team international.

See also

• Afghanistan
• Farhad Darya
• International Security Assistance Force
• Provincial Reconstruction Team
• Arif Khan
• Kunduz airstrike

References

• 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

• Welcome to Kunduz, Allauddin