Maymana

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Maymana میمنه
UTC+4:30

Maymana (

making it one of the largest cities of northwestern Afghanistan.

On 14 August 2021, Maymana was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twenty-second provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive. As of January 2022, however, clashes between Taliban and resistance fighters and protests have been reported in the city.^[3]

Location

Maymana is located at the northern foot of the Torkestan Range at an

. The Maymana River branches off of the Band-e Turkistan River 50 km south of the city. The highlands of the Maymana region generally possess a very rich topsoil which supports the seasonal agricultural activities.

Land use

Maymana is a trading and transit hub in northern Afghanistan. Just over half of the land in Maymana is non built-up (57%) consisting largely of agriculture.^[4] The central districts (2-5) have higher dwelling density and clear road grids.^[4] The outer districts(1, 7-10) are characterized by more agricultural land.^[4]

Population

During the 19th century, the population of the settlement was estimated at 15,000–18,000 and was assumed to be a dominantly Uzbek city due to the market language which was mostly

History

The town is of ancient origin. It seems clear that Maymana citadel dates back to the early

rulers.

In the 12th and 13th century the region was devastated by nomadic Turks and invading Mongols. It took long for the region, nearly 200 years, to recover from the damage the nomadic and invading Turko-Mongol foreigners from northern

). In the 16th century, the Turkic but the Uzbek elements remained dominant from then up to day in the region until in the 18th and 19th centuries.

During that time the city became the center of the Maimana Khanate^[5] and an important centre for commerce, as well as being the gateway to Turkistan from Herat and Iran. It served as an important cultural and trade centre for the whole region and served to connect various different states and peoples. Under the Uzbek rule, the city experienced a sudden renaissance, starting from the conquest of the area by Muhammad Shaibani and lasting all the way down to the Pashtun subjugation of the region. In 1876, under Sher Ali Khan, the city fell to the kingdom of Kabul and was viciosly put in ruins. As result, only ten percent of the population remained alive while a large part either died or left the city for other regions after the horrific slaughter.^{[citation needed]}

In the 20th century, the city was once strongly walled with thick walls and towers and surrounded by a moat, but in the 20th century all this has been reduced to an anonymous mound. In 1934, the rebuilding of the city started, and in 1949 the northern parts of the old city were renewed, the old city citadel changed to a park. Maymana was the administrative center of Meymaneh Province until the disintegration of the province.

As part of the International Security Assistance Force operation in Afghanistan, a Provincial Reconstruction Team led by Norway formerly operated in the province. The team also included Latvian troops.

Transportation

Maymana is served by Maymana Airport which had direct flights to Herat as of May 2014.^[6]

Economy

The town serves an agricultural area irrigated from the Qeysar River and also handles the trade in

sheep with nomads. Maymana is an important livestock centre in Afghanistan. In the 1970s, the wool and cotton processing industry was booming in the city. Maymana is a market for leather goods, silk, carpets, wheat, barley, melons and grapes.

There is also an airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Maymana in a valley surrounded by hills and a range of mountains with some peaks reaching 12,000 ft.; 24 miles (39 km) southeast of the Turkmenistan border; and 64 miles (103 km) south of Andkhoy. The runway is with gravel surface.

Maymana is, after Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kunduz, and Ghazni, the eighth-largest Afghan town with an independent women-managed radio station, Radio Quyaash, established in February 2005.

Climate

Maymana has a

: Csa) with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters.

Climate data for Maymana
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	25.3 (77.5)	27.5 (81.5)	32.6 (90.7)	35.3 (95.5)	39.8 (103.6)	42.5 (108.5)	44.5 (112.1)	40.5 (104.9)	38.3 (100.9)	35.1 (95.2)	30.6 (87.1)	27.6 (81.7)	44.5 (112.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−6.7 (19.9)	−4.2 (24.4)	8.3 (46.9)	18.0 (64.4)	27.3 (81.1)	33.7 (92.7)	35.9 (96.6)	33.9 (93.0)	28.9 (84.0)	22.2 (72.0)	11.0 (51.8)	10.6 (51.1)	18.2 (64.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−11.5 (11.3)	−8.9 (16.0)	3.2 (37.8)	12.4 (54.3)	20.1 (68.2)	25.0 (77.0)	27.2 (81.0)	25.2 (77.4)	20.6 (69.1)	14.9 (58.8)	5.0 (41.0)	−5.8 (21.6)	10.6 (51.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−16.3 (2.7)	−13.6 (7.5)	−1.9 (28.6)	6.8 (44.2)	12.9 (55.2)	16.3 (61.3)	18.5 (65.3)	16.6 (61.9)	12.3 (54.1)	7.6 (45.7)	−1.0 (30.2)	0.3 (32.5)	4.9 (40.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−22.5 (−8.5)	−23.6 (−10.5)	−12.7 (9.1)	−3.1 (26.4)	2.4 (36.3)	6.1 (43.0)	10.6 (51.1)	9.0 (48.2)	0.2 (32.4)	−5.8 (21.6)	−12 (10)	−18 (0)	−23.6 (−10.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	49.9 (1.96)	60.5 (2.38)	82.2 (3.24)	60.5 (2.38)	25.6 (1.01)	1.0 (0.04)	0.5 (0.02)	0.0 (0.0)	0.2 (0.01)	9.6 (0.38)	20.9 (0.82)	44.7 (1.76)	355.6 (14)
Average rainy days	5	7	11	10	4	0	0	0	0	2	4	5	48
Average snowy days	6	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	18
Average relative humidity (%)	75	73	74	68	53	38	34	34	39	49	61	71	56
Mean monthly sunshine hours	136.6	117.7	169.3	195.9	306.0	370.0	381.2	352.5	303.5	237.2	159.1	137.9	2,866.9
Source: NOAA (1964-1983) [7]

References

External links

• Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. (First edition: 1970.)