Farah, Afghanistan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Farah فراه Faridon
City
Farah, Afghanistan Location in Afghanistan
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Farah Province
Elevation	2,461 ft (750 m)
Population  (2022)
• City	1,000,000
• Urban	500,000
Time zone	UTC+4:30

Farah (Pashto/Dari: فراه) is the capital and largest city of Farah Province in western Afghanistan. It is located on the Farah River, close to the border with Iran. It is one of the largest cities of western Afghanistan in terms of population, with about 1.5 million people living in its urban area.

Land use

Farah is located in western Afghanistan between Kandahar and Herat, close to the border with Iran, although it lacks a direct road connection with the latter. Farah has a very clear grid of roads distributed through the higher-density residential areas. However barren land (35%) and vacant plots (25%) are the largest land uses and combine for 60% of total land use.

History

Ancient history

The Citadel at Farah is probably one of a series of fortresses constructed by Alexander the Great, the city being an intermediate stop between Alexandria Arachosia (modern Kandahar) and Herat, the location of another of Alexander's fortresses. The "Alexandria" prefix was added to the city's name when Alexander came in 330 BC.

Under the Parthian Empire, Farah fell under the satrapy of Aria, and was one of its key cities. It is thought to be Phra, mentioned by Isidorus Characenus in the 1st century AD, or Alexandria Prophthasia mentioned by Pliny the Elder, Stephanus of Byzantium (Stephanus also called it Phrada (Φράδα)) and the 4th century Peutinger Map.

In the 5th century AD Farah was one of the major strongholds on the eastern frontier of the Sassanid Empire. It was of some strategic importance, commanding the approaches to India and Sistan from Herat.

Medieval and early modern

The region came under Muslim rule in 651 during the Muslim conquest of Persia. The region was historically controlled by the Tahirids followed by the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Khwarazmshahs, Ilkhanids, Kartids, Timurids, Khanate of Bukhara, and Safavids until the early-18th century when it became part of the Afghan Hotaki dynasty followed by the Durrani Empire.

Islam was introduced in the region during the 7th century and later the Saffarid dynasty took control of Farah. During the 10th century, Mahmud of Ghazni took possession of the city, followed by the Ghurids in the 12th century. Genghis Khan and his army passed through in the 13th century, and the city fell to the native Kartids who lost it to the Timurids. It was controlled by the Safavids until 1709, when they were defeated by the Hotaki Afghan forces of Mirwais Hotak. It became part of the Durrani Empire in the mid 18th century. Farah was seized by Sultan Jan, then ruler of Herat, but re-captured by Dost Mohammad Khan on July 8, 1862.

Soviet-Afghan War

At the start of the Soviet invasion in 1979, Farah was, along with Herat, Shindand, and Kandahar, occupied by the Soviet 357th and 66th Motorized Rifle Divisions (MRD).

The mujahideen established themselves in the Farah area in 1979. They maintained a presence in the city until they were forced out in 1982, and established a stronghold at the nearby mountain Lor Koh, which they renamed Sharafat Koh ("Honor Mountain"). Primary among the Farah mujahideen groups was the Sharafat Kuh Front.

Civil war to present

Afghan girls sing songs to U.S. service members during a visit to the orphanage in Farah City June 19, 2012.

Following the collapse of the Soviet-backed government of Najibullah in 1992, Ismail Khan returned to power in Herat, and came to control Farah, as well as the other surrounding provinces of Ghor and Badghis, until Herat fell to the Taliban in 1995.

The roads in Farah Province have seen massive improvement since May 2005. The education system has been greatly improved and a great number of illegal weapons have been collected and destroyed in the province by the Provincial Reconstruction Team. The United States built a base at Farah Airport, which also houses the Afghan National Security Forces (ANFS).

Demographics

Recent statistics (2015) showed the city population of about 54,000. Pashtuns form the majority of the city's population, constituting 50-60%, with the Tajiks at 30-40% and the remaining Balochis. More than 50% of the province consists of ethnic Pashtuns (excluding Kuchi nomades) followed by Tajiks as the second largest group residing mainly in the city of Farah and Baluchis as third group. However, the Kuchi nomads, a Pashtun group, make up a sizeable population in winter.

The provincial dominant language is Farsi (Dari) and Pashto.

Economy

The city is a major trading and farming center in this area.

Transport

The Farah Airport is located next to the city and as of May 2014 had regularly scheduled flights to Herat.

There are secondary roads in different directions from the city. As of 2010, Farah City had 30 km (19 mi) of paved roads, 136 km (85 mi) of gravel roads and 150 km (93 mi) of unpaved roads. The major road is Route 515 which connects Farah to the Ring Road. Both roads were improved in 2009 in coordination with several ISAF countries.

Healthcare

The city is served by Farah City Hospital.

Climate

Farah has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer, and there is no almost rain from June to October. Snowfall has not been observed from 1960 to 1983.

The average annual temperature in Farah is 20.7 °C (69.3 °F). About 95 mm (3.74 in) of precipitation falls annually, and February is the wettest month, receiving 22.8 millimetres (0.90 in) of rainfall on average. In August 2009, Farah recorded a temperature of 49.9 °C (121.8 °F), which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Afghanistan. July is the warmest month, with an average high of 42.6 °C (108.7 °F) and an average low of 25.2 °C (77.4 °F), while January is the coldest, with an average low of 0.9 °C (33.6 °F).

Books relating to Farah

Little has been written about Farah; some fleeting references can be found in works related to Afghanistan or works that focus on the Great Game Politics of the UK and the Russian Empire during the 19th century. However, 2011 saw the publication of Words in the Dust by author Trent Reedy, who was one of the first American soldiers to enter Farah in 2004. His book, while fiction, is set in Farah City and the wider province. Also in 2021, Trent Reedy also published another book with a writer currently in Afghanistan named Jawad Arash. In the book Enduring Freedom, it was set in the province of Farah.

See also

In Spanish: Farāh para niños