Badakhshan Province

For the greater geographical region, see Badakhshan.

Badakhshan Province بدخشان
Province
Different districts of Badakhshan Province
Map of Afghanistan with Badakhshan highlighted
Coordinates: 38°0′N 71°0′E
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Fayzabad
Government
• Governor	Maulvi Abdul Ghani Faiq
• Deputy Governor	Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi
Area
• Total	44,059 km2 (17,011 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	1,072,785
• Density	24/km2 (63/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
ISO 3166 code	AF-BDS
Main languages	Dari, Khowar, Kyrgyz, Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi, Wakhi, Persian

Badakhshan Province (Persian بدخشان, Badaxšān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lower and Upper Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan in the southeast. It also has a 91-kilometer (57-mile) border with China in the east. It is currently contested between the NRF and the Taliban.

It is part of a broader historical Badakhshan region, parts of which now also lie in Tajikistan and China. The province contains 22 districts, over 1,200 villages and approximately 1 055 000 [1] people. Fayzabad serves as the provincial capital. Resistance activity has been reported in the province since the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Etymology

Badakhshan's name comes from the Middle Persian word "badaxš", which is an official title. The word "ān" is a suffix which demonstrates a place's name; therefore the word "badaxšān" means a place belonging to a person called "badaxš".

During the Sassanids' reign it was called "bidix", and in Parthian times "bthšy". In Sassanid manuscripts found in Ka'ba-ye Zartosht it was called "Bałasakan". In Chinese sources from the 7th century onwards it was called "Po-to-chang-na".

Geography

Further information: Geography of Afghanistan

Noshaq (or Nowshak) (Dari: نوشاخ) is the second highest independent peak of the Hindu Kush Range after Tirich Mir (7,492 m (24,580 ft)). It lies on the border between Pakistan and Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan. The north and west sides of the mountain are in Afghanistan, and the southern and eastern sides are in Pakistan. Noshaq is Afghanistan's highest mountain and is in the northeastern corner of the country along the Durand line (which marks the border with Pakistan). It is the westernmost 7000m peak in the world.

Valley of Kuran wa Munjan in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Looking from the center of the main valley towards the south.

Badakhshan is bordered by Takhar Province to the west, Panjshir Province to the south west, Nuristan Province to the south, Tajikistan to the north and east (that nation's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and Khatlon Province), China through a long spur called the Wakhan Corridor to the east, and Pakistan to the south-east (Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan). The total area of Badakhshan is 44,059 square kilometres (17,011 sq mi), most of which is occupied by the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, Badakhshan contains temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, as well as Gissaro-Alai open woodlands along the Pamir River. Common plants found in these areas include pistachio, almond, walnut, apple, juniper, and sagebrush.

Montane grasslands and shrublands are existent in the province, with the Hindu Kush alpine meadow in the high mountains in the northern and southwestern regions.

The Wakhan corridor contains two montane grassland and shrubland regions: the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe and in the Pamir Mountains and Kuh-e Safed Khers in Darwaz region.

South of Fayzabad the terrain becomes dominated by deserts and xeric shrublands. Common vegetation includes thorny bushes, zizyphus, acacia, and Amygdatus. Paropamisus xeric woodlands can be found in the province's northwestern and central areas. Common vegetation includes almond, pistachio, willows, and sea-buckthorn.

History

Further information: History of Afghanistan

Badakhshan etymologically derives from the Middle Persian word badaxš, an official title. The suffix of the name, -ān, means the region belonged to someone with the title badaxš.

The territory was ruled by the Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century. It was given to Ahmad Shah Durrani by Murad Beg of Bukhara after a treaty of friendship was reached in or about 1750 and became part of the Durrani Empire. It was ruled by the Durranis followed by the Barakzai dynasty, and was untouched by the British during the three Anglo-Afghan Wars that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about 100 years until the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War at which point the Mujahideen began a rebellion against the central Afghan government.

During the 1990s, much of the area was controlled by forces loyal to Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud, who were de facto the national government until 1996. Badakhshan was the only province that the Taliban did not conquer during their rule from 1996 to 2001. However, during the course of the wars a non-Taliban Islamic emirate was established in Badakhshan by Mawlawi Shariqi, paralleling the Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan in neighboring Nuristan. Rabbani, a Badakhshan native, and Massoud were the last remnants of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance during the peak of Taliban control in 2001.

Badakhshan was thus one of the few provinces of the country that witnessed little insurgency in the Afghan wars – however, during the 2010s Taliban insurgents managed to attack and take control of several districts in the province.

On 26 October 2015, the 7.5 Mw Hindu Kush earthquake shook northern Afghanistan with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). This earthquake destroyed almost 30,000 homes, left several hundred dead, and more than 1,700 injured.

Transportation

Further information: Transport in Afghanistan

Fayzabad Airport serves the province with regular direct flights to Kabul.

Healthcare

Further information: Health in Afghanistan

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 13% in 2005 to 21% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 1.5% in 2003 to 2% in 2011.

Education

Further information: Education in Afghanistan

Badakhshan University is located in Fayzabad, a city which also has a number of public schools including an all-girls school.

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 31% in 2005 to 26% in 2011. The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) increased from 46% in 2005 to 68% in 2011.

Economy

Further information: Economy of Afghanistan

Classic lazurite specimen from Sar-e-Sang district.

Despite massive mineral reserves, Badakhshan is one of the most destitute areas in the world. Opium poppy growing is the only real source of income in the province and Badakhshan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, due to the complete lack of health infrastructure, inaccessible locations, and bitter winters of the province.

Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sar-e-Sang mines, located in the Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakhshan, for over 6,000 years. The mines were the largest and most well-known source in ancient times. Most recent mining activity has focused on lapis lazuli, with the proceeds from the lapis mines being used to fund Northern Alliance troops, and before that, anti-Soviet Mujahideen fighters. Recent geological surveys have indicated the location of other gemstone deposits, in particular rubies and emeralds. It is estimated that the mines at Kuran wa Munjan District hold up to 1,290 tonnes of azure (lapis lazuli). Exploitation of this mineral wealth could be key to the region's prosperity.

On 5 October 2018 in Washington, D.C., Afghan officials signed a 30-year contract involving a $22 million investment by investment group Centar and its operating company, Afghan Gold and Minerals Co., to explore and develop an area of Badakhshan for gold mining.

Sport

Further information: Sport in Afghanistan

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket competitions by the Badakhshan Province cricket team BORNA Cricket Club which belongs to BORNA Institute of Higher Education is coming up with its own team and will be groomed by the experts in the field of cricket.

Demographics

Further information: Demographics of Afghanistan

Districts of Badakhshan before 2005

Children in Badakhshan

As of 2020, the population of the province is about 1,054,087, constituting a multi-ethnic rural society. Dari-speaking Tajiks make up the majority followed by a few Uzbeks, Hazaras, Pashtuns, Kyrgyz, Qizilbash, and others. There are also speakers of the following Pamiri languages: Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi, and Wakhi.

The inhabitants of the province are mostly Sunni Muslims, although there are also some Ismaili Shias.

60.1% of the population lived below the national poverty line, one of the higher figures in the country.

Districts

Districts of Badakhshan Province

District	Capital	Population	Area	Villages Ethnic groups
Arghanj Khwa		18,520		Tajik.
Argo		90,165	1,032 km2	145 villages.Tajik.
Baharak	Baharak	33,119	328 km2	51 villages. Tajik.
Darayim		70,834	570 km2	101 villages. Tajik.
Fayzabad	Fayzabad	78,757	514 km2	175 villages. Tajik.
Ishkashim	Ishkashim	15,951	1,123 km2	43 villages.
Jurm	Jorm	43,445	1286 km2	75 villages. Tajik
Khash		43,798	264 km2	21 villages. Tajik
Khwahan	Khwahan	19,060	80 km2	46 villages. Tajik.
Kishim	Mashhad	93,004	264 km2	100 villages. Tajik
Kohistan		19,061		13 villages. Tajik
Kuf Ab	Qal`eh-ye Kuf	25,684		Tajik
Keran wa Menjan	Keran wa Menjan	10,949	1,588 km2	42 villages. 100% Tajik.
Maimay	Jamarj-e Bala	30,416
Nusay	Nusay	26,631	4,589 km2	16 villages. Tajik.
Raghistan	Ziraki	45,556		25 villages. Tajik.
Shahri Buzurg	Shahri Buzurg	60,155	956 km2	74 villages.
Sheghnan	Shughnan	27,750	3528 km2	28 villages. Khowar, Tajik and Qizilbash.
Shekay	Jarf	30,280	1,700 km2	38 villages. Tajik, etc.
Shuhada		39,742	1,521 km2	62 villages. 99% Tajik and 1% others.
Tagab		32,307
Tishkan		34,336	812 km2	57 villages. Tajik.
Wakhan	Khandud	17,167	10,953 km2	110 villages. Tajik.
Warduj		25,144	929 km2	45 villages. Tajik.
Yaftali Sufla		60,695	605 km2	93 villages. Tajik.
Yamgan		29,604	1,779 km2	39 villages. 100% Tajik
Yawan		37,310
Zebak	Zebak	9,057	1,521 km2	62 villages. 99% Tajik and 1% others.

Notable people from Badakhshan

• Makhfi Badakhshi, Persian poet, lived and died in Badakhshan
• Nūr al-Dīn Jaʿfar Badakhshī, 14th-century disciple of the eminent Central Asian Ṣūfī shaykh Sayyid ʿAlī Hamadānī
• Mullah Shah Badakhshi, 17th-century Muslim Sufi of the Qadiri order, from Araska in Rustaq area in Badakhshan
• Tahir Badakhshi, political activist
• Nāsir Khusraw Qubādiyānī Balkhi, 11th-century Persian poet, philosopher and Isma'ili scholar, died in Yamgan, Badakhshan
• Bairam Khan, 16th-century important military commander, and later commander-in-chief of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal Emperors, Humayun and Akbar
• Fawzia Koofi, noted Afghan women's rights activist, member of Parliament and 2014 presidential candidate
• Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, Chief architect of the Taj Mahal
• Miri Maftun, Afghan musician from Badakhshan.
• Zulmai Mujadidi, Member of Parliament representing Badakhshan
• Latif Pedram, political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
• Burhanuddin Rabbani, leader of the Jamiat-e Islami political party and former president of Afghanistan
• Qari Fasihuddin, Army Chief, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

See also

• Dorah Pass
• Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region

Further reading

• Burhanuddin Kushkaki. Rāhnamā-yi Qaṭaghan va Badakhshān. Kabul: Vizarat-i Ḥarbiyah, 1923.
• Jan-Heeren Grevemeyer: Herrschaft, Raub und Gegenseitigkeit: Die politische Geschichte Badakhshans 1500–1883, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1982
• Wolfgang Holzwarth: Segmentation und Staatsbildung in Afghanistan: Traditionale sozio-politische Organisation in Badakhshan, Wakhan und Sheghnan In: Berliner Institut für vergleichende Sozialforschung [Red.: Kurt Greussing u. Jan-Heeren Grevemeyer] (Hrsg.): Revolution in Iran und Afghanistan – mardom nameh – Jahrbuch zur Geschichte und Gesellschaft des Mittleren Orients Syndikat, Frankfurt am Main 1980, ISBN 3-8108-0147-X.

External links

• Media related to Badakhshan Province at Wikimedia Commons
• Badkhshan Province – Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development