Taloqan تالقان | |
|---|---|
 Takhar governor's office in Taloqan | |
  Taloqan Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates:36°43′N69°31′E / 36.717°N 69.517°E /36.717; 69.517 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Takhar |
| District | Taloqan |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Land | 107 km2 (41 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 876 m (2,874 ft) |
| Population (2025)[3] | |
| 284,990 | |
| • Urban | 94,438 |
| • Rural | 190,552 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
| ISO 3166 code | AF-TQN |
Taloqan,[a] also written asTaleqan orTaluqan,[4] is acity in northernAfghanistan, serving as the capital ofTakhar Province.[5][6] It is within the jurisdiction ofTaloqan District and has an estimated population of 284,990 people.[3] Ethnically, they areTajiks,Uzbeks,Pashtuns andHazaras.
Taloqan is home toTakhar University, which is in the northwestern part of the city. TheTaloqan Airport is a few miles to the north. The city has a number ofbazaars, business centers, public parks, banks, hotels, restaurants,mosques,hospitals,universities, and places to playsports or relax.
Taloqan sits at an altitude of 876 m (2,874 ft) above sea level,[2] and has a land area of 107 km2 (41 sq mi) with 28,691dwelling units in it.[1] The city is administratively divided into 6 city districts (nahias).[2] There is a major road that passes through the city, linking it with nearbyKunduz in the west andFayzabad inBadakhshan Province in the northeast.
The old city to the west on the riverside was described byMarco Polo in 1275CE as:
Taloqan had earlier come underMongol control during the campaigns ofGenghis Khan in the early 13th century. Following the fall ofBalkh and the destruction of otherKhwarazmian cities, the Mongols besieged and captured Taloqan, reportedly massacring its inhabitants as part of their broader campaign to subdue Khwarazmian resistance.[citation needed]
In 1603, Taloqan ("Talhan") was visited by another European explorer,Bento de Góis, who was traveling with a caravan fromKabul toYarkand (then the capital ofKashgaria).[8]
Themujahideen headquarters ofAhmad Shah Massoud were located in Taloqan during his campaign against theSoviet Army and theTaliban. On 5 September 2000, Taloqan became the last major city to fall to theTaliban,[9] after a siege which claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians.[10] The capture of the city by the Taliban also triggered a mass exodus in the population, with civilians fleeing towardsImam Sahib and thePanjshir Valley.Northern Alliance soldiers managed to stop the Taliban advance to the north and to the east of the city, but were not able to retake it. Taloqan was liberated in November 2001 by forces of the Northern Alliance following theUnited States invasion of Afghanistan.
The city was attacked during the2021 Taliban offensive (which coincided with thewithdrawal of United States troops). On May 2, 2021, Piram Qul, a close aide toAbdul Rashid Dostum and one of the most influential anti-Taliban figures in Takhar, was killed inRustaq District.[11][12]
Following the fall of several districts of Takhar to the Taliban,[13] on June 20, 2021, a group of Takhar elders including Mohibullah Noori and Ashraf Ani announced at a press conference in Kabul that they will send a group to mobilize people resistant in support of Afghan security forces in Takhar. Mohibullah Noori led the group, which entered Taloqan on 26 June 2021 and united the Takhar commanders to resist against the Taliban.
The Taliban tried to take the city in July 2021, however the attack was repulsed.[14] Later, during Taliban offensive Haji Agha Gol Qatghani was killed and Khair Mohammad Teymour injured and all forces, including provincial officials, retreated to the Versaj district. Taloqan was captured by the Taliban on 8 August 2021.[15]
Taloqan has aMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classificationCsa). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The average annual temperature in Taloqan is 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). About 475 mm (18.70 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Taloqan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 9.1 (48.4) | 15.4 (59.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 31.6 (88.9) | 34.1 (93.4) | 32.7 (90.9) | 28.1 (82.6) | 21.4 (70.5) | 13.8 (56.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 20.8 (69.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) | 2.9 (37.2) | 9.1 (48.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 20.1 (68.2) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.0 (82.4) | 26.5 (79.7) | 21.8 (71.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.6 (36.7) | 14.6 (58.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) | −3.2 (26.2) | 2.5 (36.5) | 7.6 (45.7) | 12.3 (54.1) | 16.5 (61.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.3 (57.7) | 8.6 (47.5) | 2.4 (36.3) | −2.8 (27.0) | 7.6 (45.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 53 (2.1) | 68 (2.7) | 90 (3.5) | 96 (3.8) | 60 (2.4) | 7 (0.3) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | 17 (0.7) | 40 (1.6) | 41 (1.6) | 475 (18.8) |
| Source:[16] | |||||||||||||
The testament of the Islamic prophetMuhammad indicates that the city will play a major role regarding theMahdi. A narration by chain,Imam Baqir states: "Allah Almighty has a treasure in Talaqan which is of neither gold nor silver, but consists of twelve thousand (people), having 'Ahmad, Ahmad' for their slogan. They will be led by a young Hashemite man riding a gray mule and wearing a red headband. It is as if I can see him crossing the Euphrates. Should you hear of his coming, rush to him even if you have to crawl over the snow[17] Another narration states: "Talaqan is a place of treasures of Allah. These treasures are not of gold and silver, but consist of people who have recognised Allah as they should have."[18]
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| Populated Places | ||
| Other | ||
