Gardez
Gardez
UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time) |
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Gardez (
On 14 August 2021, Gardez was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the nineteenth provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.
History
History of Afghanistan | |
---|---|
Timeline | |
410–557 | |
Nezak Huns | 484–711 |
Gardez is an ancient settlement, located within a large intramountainous depression in the
During 8th century, the
During the 16th-century, Gardez was renowned for its multi-storied houses—as mentioned by Baburs in his Baburnama—and was the headquarter of the Mughal tūmān of "Zurmut", whose people were "Afghān-Shāl".[8][11]
Today, Gardez is the administrative center of a district of the Paktiā province, which covers 650 km2 and had a total population of 44,000 inhabitants in 1979, but was almost totally depopulated during the Soviet–Afghan War.
In 1960, the
On
Geography
Gardez is located at 2,308 m above sea level, making it the third-highest provincial capital in Afghanistan, and is not far from the
Climate
Gardez has a
Climate data for Gardez | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.6 (58.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
26.5 (79.7) |
31.0 (87.8) |
34.5 (94.1) |
34.8 (94.6) |
33.8 (92.8) |
30.0 (86.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
17.6 (63.7) |
34.8 (94.6) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
2.3 (36.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
16.8 (62.2) |
22.2 (72.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
18.6 (65.5) |
11.9 (53.4) |
5.7 (42.3) |
16.6 (61.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.1 (21.0) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
2.7 (36.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
20.6 (69.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
10.5 (50.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.7 (10.9) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
8.4 (47.1) |
2.3 (36.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
2.4 (36.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −31 (−24) |
−30.0 (−22.0) |
−19.6 (−3.3) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−27.8 (−18.0) |
−31 (−24) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 35.8 (1.41) |
61.7 (2.43) |
65.5 (2.58) |
50.4 (1.98) |
21.7 (0.85) |
4.8 (0.19) |
15.8 (0.62) |
7.5 (0.30) |
0.9 (0.04) |
5.8 (0.23) |
12.4 (0.49) |
33.2 (1.31) |
315.5 (12.43) |
Average rainy days | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 36 |
Average snowy days | 8 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 29 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
69 | 72 | 66 | 58 | 47 | 39 | 49 | 51 | 45 | 45 | 51 | 60 | 54 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 171.5 | 166.8 | 214.2 | 242.9 | 316.2 | 357.5 | 343.0 | 335.8 | 329.8 | 302.4 | 253.9 | 200.4 | 3,234.4 |
Source: NOAA (1970-1983) [16] |
Land use
Gardez is located in eastern Afghanistan close to Ghazni and Khost.[5] Gardez is predominately non-built up area with agriculture as the largest land use at 39%.[5] Residential area accounts for almost half of built-up area and Districts 1-4 consist of the densest housing.[5]
Demographics
As of 2008, the population of Gardez was estimated to be around 73,131.
The
Economy and administration
The city of Gardez is also a major fuel wood market for Kabul. Many of its natural forests are being cut down to provide fuel wood especially during winter.
During the 1970s, Gardez experienced a significant economic boom, primarily attributable to substantial financial support from Germany. This infusion of funds catalyzed rapid growth in various sectors, such as infrastructure development, industrial expansion, and education initiatives. As a consequence, the city saw a surge in job opportunities, improved living standards, and a thriving business environment, marking a pivotal period in its history. "Paktiā Development Authority", established in 1965, and of the asphalting of the road to Kabul. Social services included three schools for boys, one school for girls, a hospital, one teacher training institute, the Madrasaye Roshānī, two hotels, and forty mosques. Most of these buildings were destroyed during the civil war in the 1980s.
After the fall of the
Security and politics
Gardez was the former home of the 3rd Corps of the
According to local Police Chief Brigadier General Aziz Ahmad Wardak, six people were arrested on 19 August 2009 for distributing night letters threatening people with attacks if they participated in the election.[19]
Notable people from Gardez
- Abu Sa'id Gardezi, 11th-century geographer and historian
- Shah Gardez, 11th-century Sufi saint who established himself in Multan, Pakistan
- Mohammad Najibullah, President of Afghanistan from 1987 to 1992
- Khalaf ibn Ahmad, the last Saffarid Emir who died in Gardez in 1009 where he had been sent after the Ghaznavid conquest
See also
References and notes
- ^ "The State of Afghan Cities report 2015". Archived from the original on 2015-10-31.
- ^ a b c Pike, John. "Gardez". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Scar, Ken (February 22, 2012). "AUP takes the reins from US soldiers in Gardez". U.S. Central Command. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ^ "The State of Afghan Cities report2015". Archived from the original on 2015-10-31.
- ^ a b c d "The State of Afghan Cities report 2015". Archived from the original on 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ^ "The State of Afghan Cities report2015". Archived from the original on 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ISBN 978-94-93194-01-4.
- ^ Encyclopaedia Iranica (Online Edition, (LINK)
- ^ Clifford Edmund Bosworth (1977). The Medieval History of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Variorum Reprints. pp. 302–303.
- ^ "Hodūd al-Ālam", ed. Sotūda, p. 71, tr. Minorsky, p. 91; Bivar & Bosworth, 1965, pp. 17 ff.
- ^ Beveridge, Annette Susannah (7 January 2014). The Bābur-nāma in English, Memoirs of Bābur. Project Gutenberg.
- ^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
- ^ HOLGUIN, JAIME. "Afghan Warlord Defiant Amid Threats". www.cbsnews.com.
- ^ "Official Says Suicide Attack in Eastern Afghanistan Kills 5". Associated Press. May 14, 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Truck bomb in eastern Afghan city kills five, Taliban claim responsibility". Reuters. May 14, 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Gardiz Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ISBN 113405422X, 209.
- ^ Niazai, Lemar (19 August 2009). "10 detained for distributing night letters". PAJHWOK ELECTIONS.[dead link]
Literature
- S. Radojicic, Report on Hydrogeological Survey of Paktya Province, Kabul, UNICEF, 1977
- C.E. Bosworth, "Notes on the Pre-Ghaznavid History of Eastern Afghanistan", in The Islamic Quarterly IX, 1965