Farah Province of Afghanistan
Posted by Viera Francesca Lovin Rebel in Farah on Saturday, March 26, 2011
Farah is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan
Geographically the province is approximately 18,000 square miles (47,000 km2), making it (comparatively) more than twice the size of Maryland , or half the size of South Korea Herat , on the northeast by Ghor, the southeast by Helmand, the south by Nimroz, and on the west by Iran Afghanistan
Farah belonges culturally and historically to Sistan (Sistan and Balutschestan Province in Iran Iran , especially with the people of the eastern provinces of Iran
ShahrShahr-e Kohn-e ("Old City ") or Fereydun Shahr ("City of Fereydoon
Farah Province had been lost by the Safavids to the Uzbeks of Transoxiana, but was regained following a Safavid counter-offensive around 1600 CE, along with Herat
Afghan Civil War;
Farah has not seen much fighting since the US backed overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, and is peaceful, relative to many parts of the country. Although there has been sporadic heavy combat in the Bala Baluk, and Gulestan districts. However, mountainous Eastern Farah has seen at least one US offensive against Taliban forces. In February 2005, the Taliban killed an aid worker in northern Farah and there was a failed Taliban assassination attempt on the governor. Due to its proximity to the restive Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, Farah has experienced problems with roaming insurgent gangs moving through the province and occupying parts of the province for brief periods of time.Incidents of this type have increased as Taliban fighters face heavy pressure from ISAF offensives in the south.Farah Province
Lash Wa
Geographics;
Geographically the province is approximately 18,000 square miles (47,000 km2), making it (comparatively) more than twice the size of The province is home to a great many ruined castles including the "Castle of the Infidel" just south of Farah City
Culture;
Farah is associated with large families (families typically have a minimum of four children). The culture of Farah is patriarchal, where the tribal leaders, almost always men, are highly respected. Family pride is strongly valued and family members are taught to respect it and ensure that it is maintained at all times.
Farah belonges culturally and historically to Sistan (Sistan and Particularly the ethnic Tajiks of Farah have a huge and remarkable interaction to Iran and Iranians: This is not since the migration of people of Farah in 1979 to Iran Iran before the existence what we call nowadays the national state of Iran and Afghanistan
Similarly, many Pashtun people have relatives to the border area or in cities of Pakistan Iran or Pashutuns from Paktia to Pakistan has been as long as the exitence of the current political borders between Iran , Afghanistan or Pakistan
Religious sites;
The tomb of Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri (who claimed to be the Mahdi) is in Farah and is visited every year by many people from all around the world, especially Pakistan and India
History;
Shahr-e Kohn-e or Fereydoon;
ShahrShahr-e Kohn-e ("Safavid Dynasty;
The Saur Revolution and the Soviet-Afghan War;
Following the Afghan communist coup in 1978, Farah was one of the cities in which civilian massacres were carried out by the now-dominant Khalqi communists against their political, ethnic, and religious opponents.At the start of the 1980s, the majority of Farah was allied with the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami movement, but after 1981 the province split along linguistic lines, with Pashtun-speaking opponents of the communist government remaining with Harakat, and Farsi-Dari speakers moving to the Jamiat-e Islami.
Afghan Civil War; Following the 1992 collapse of the communist-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Farah Province , like Herat Farah Province , as his occupation of the province and the strategic Shindand Airfield in its south stymied their efforts to seize Herat Kandahar , and all of Farah fell as the Taliban swept to take Herat
Taliban era;
Due to its isolation from the Taliban's area of focus, Farah exerted some small level of local control during Taliban rule. By the end of the Taliban period, there were eight United Nations Development Program (UNDP) schools, for both boys and girls, recognized and supported by the Taliban in Kandahar
Following the Coalition entry and union with the Northern Alliance following September 11, 2001, the Taliban withdrew from Farah due to the heavy Coalition aerial campaign, though ground troops were not sent to the province until some time later.
Security Situation;
Farah has not seen much fighting since the US backed overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, and is peaceful, relative to many parts of the country. Although there has been sporadic heavy combat in the Bala Baluk, and Gulestan districts. However, mountainous Eastern Farah has seen at least one US offensive against Taliban forces. In February 2005, the Taliban killed an aid worker in northern Farah and there was a failed Taliban assassination attempt on the governor. Due to its proximity to the restive In May 2009, an American airstrike in the village of Granai United States
Demographics;
Farah province has a Pashtun majority of 80%.Tajiks or better to say Persian (Fars) live around the capital city and are 14% of the population, while more than 50-56%% of the population speak Persian (also known as Dari Persian) as mother tongue.Balochs are concentrated in the south of the province. There are also some Aimaks and Hazaras. The Tajiks and Aimaks are considered as the indigene and oldest population of the region. During the mid of the 19th century, many Pashtun tribes, mostly Abdali (Durrani) ones moved through Kandahar
District Population
Anar Dara 24,782
Bakwa 39,871
Bala Buluk 72,465
Farah 109,409
Gulistan 49,774
Khaki Safed 34,600
Pur Chaman 51,626
Pusht Rod 36,315
Shib Koh 23,013
Capital;
Farah
Area;
48,471 km² (18,715 sq mi)
Population;
925,016 (2006)
Main Languages;
Pashto
Dari Persian