Ishkashim | |
|---|---|
 A bridge over thePanj River at Ishkashim | |
  Ishkashim Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates:36°42′33″N71°34′26″E / 36.70917°N 71.57389°E /36.70917; 71.57389 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Badakhshan |
| District | Ishkashim |
| Elevation | 8,500 ft (2,600 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 12,120 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 (AFT) |
Ishkashim (Dari:اشکاشم,romanized: Iškāšim;Iskashimi:Šəkošəm;[2] also transliteratedEshkashem) is aborder town inBadakhshan province ofAfghanistan,[3][4] which has a population of around 12,120 people.[5] The town serves as the capital ofIshkashim district. Another town by the same name is located on the other side of thePanj river in theGorno-Badakhshan region ofTajikistan, although that town is normally transliteratedIshkoshim following Tajik practice. A bridge linking the two towns was reconstructed in 2006.[6]
Ishkashim lies in a fertile valley at an elevation of 3,037 m (9,964 ft) meters.[5] There are roughly 20 settlements in the valley, but considering the cultivation in the valley is contiguous, it could also be considered a single larger settlement. The valley has only one harvest per year. Wheat and barley are cultivated.[7]Poplar,chinar andmaple trees grow as well, but there is little firewood.
Ishkashim is connected by road withFayzabad in the northwest, through the town ofBaharak.[8] It is also connected to the towns ofZebak in the southwest andKhandud in the northeast. The valley lies in an important strategic area, as it commands the only route betweenFayzabad,Shighnan, andWakhan accessible during the winter. It has a number of small shops, hotels, guest houses,schools and government buildings, including a base for theAfghan Border Police. Many local and foreigntourists visit the town.[9]
The town has been mentioned under various alternative forms of its name historically, includingŠikāšim (شکاشم),Sikāšim (سکاشم),Sikīmišt (سکیمشت), andIskīmišt (اسکیمشت).[10]
According to RussianIranologist Tatyana Nikolayevna Pakhalina, the toponym originates fromIndo-Iranian*sakā-kṣ̌amā, meaning "land of theSaka" or "Scythia". This would make it related to the names of the regions ofShighnan andSistan.[2] Alternatively, according to Uzbek philologistShamsiddin Kamoliddinov [uz], the toponym originates fromTurkic*eskimiš, deriving fromeski ("old") and-miš (toponym-deriving suffix).[11]
Ishkashim and Wakhan became anIslamic region during theSamanid Empire. It fell to theGhaznavids followed by theGhurids and others. It officially became part of the modern state of Afghanistan after rulers of theQing dynasty of China signed a treaty withAhmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the lastAfghan Empire.[12] It was reshaped during the rule ofAbdur Rahman Khan in the late 19th century after he agreed on theDurand Line withMortimer Durand. Afghanistan as a whole became as abuffer state between what was then theRussian Empire andBritish India.[13][14] It is currently controlled by forces of theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which took over responsibility from the previousNATO-trainedAfghan National Security Forces.[15][16]
The climate is generally cold, but much warmer than that of neighboring areas, such asWakhan District.[1] According to theKöppen climate classification, Ishkashim has awarm-summer humid continental climate (Dsb) with pleasant summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Ishkashim is 4.3 °C (39.7 °F). About 569 mm (22.40 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Ishkashim | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.7 (23.5) | −3.6 (25.5) | 2.0 (35.6) | 9.1 (48.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | −1.5 (29.3) | 9.7 (49.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.4 (15.1) | −7.8 (18.0) | −2.2 (28.0) | 4.3 (39.7) | 8.4 (47.1) | 13.4 (56.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 16.2 (61.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 6.1 (43.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | −5.5 (22.1) | 4.3 (39.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −14.1 (6.6) | −12.1 (10.2) | −6.4 (20.5) | −0.5 (31.1) | 3.0 (37.4) | 7.2 (45.0) | 9.9 (49.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 4.9 (40.8) | −0.1 (31.8) | −4.9 (23.2) | −9.5 (14.9) | −1.1 (30.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 56 (2.2) | 73 (2.9) | 101 (4.0) | 94 (3.7) | 69 (2.7) | 19 (0.7) | 14 (0.6) | 11 (0.4) | 8 (0.3) | 29 (1.1) | 39 (1.5) | 56 (2.2) | 569 (22.3) |
| Source: weather2visit.com[17] | |||||||||||||
Dari is the dominant language in Ishkashim, Afghanistan.[7] The people in the area are mostlyTajiks andUzbeks. Many of them are unemployed.[18] Historically, there have also been many followers ofNizari Isma'ilism in the area,[7] who are called Ishkashimis. Some of whom may speak theIshkashimi language in addition to Dari.[1]
The entire population of Ishkashim is involved inagriculture,transport, trade, andtourism.
