Puli Khumri پل خمری | |
|---|---|
 View of the city | |
  Puli Khumri Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates:35°57′N68°42′E / 35.950°N 68.700°E /35.950; 68.700 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Baghlan |
| District | Puli Khumri |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Maulvi Abdul Latif Mazlom |
| Area | |
| 3,752 ha (9,270 acres) | |
| • Land | 181 km2 (70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 920 m (3,020 ft) |
| Population (2025)[4] | |
| 230,112 | |
| • Density | 1,270/km2 (3,290/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 139,252 |
| • Rural | 90,860 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
| ISO 3166 code | AF-PLK |
Puli Khumri,[a] also written asPul-i-Khumri orPol-e Khomri, is acity in northernAfghanistan, serving as thecapital ofBaghlan Province.[5][6] It is within the jurisdiction ofPuli Khumri District and has an estimated population of 230,112 people.[4]Maulvi Abdul Latif Mazlom is the currentmayor of the city.[1] His predecessor was Maulvi Mohammad Anwar Mustaqeem.[7]
Puli Khumri has a number of factories,bazaars, business centers,public parks,banks, hotels, restaurants,mosques,hospitals,universities, and places to playsports or just relax. It is home toBaghlan University. TheGhori cement factory is also in Puli Khumri. In 2015 there were 24,586dwelling units in the city.[3][2]
Puli Khumri sits at an elevation of approximately 920 m (3,020 ft) abovesea level in theHindu Kush mountain range.[2] The city is administratively divided into six districts (nahias), covering a land area of 181 km2 (70 sq mi).[3] It is connected by theAfghanistan Ring Road withKunduz to the north,Charikar inParwan Province to the southeast, andMazar-i-Sharif inBalkh Province to the northwest.
During the 1980s, Puli Khumri was officially granted the status of the capital of Baghlan province in place of the central city of Baghlan. This transition occurred under the influence ofSayed Mansur Naderi, son ofSayed Kayan, who held significant military and political power at the time.[8] The relocation aimed to enhance public access to administrative offices, leveraging Puli Khumri's strategic location along the Kabul-Mazar highway. The cabinet ofMohammad Najibullah, led bySultan Ali Keshtmand, initially proposed this move through declaration number 492 on March 1, 1989. It was subsequently formalized by Najibullah through decree number 1603 on March 9, 1989.[9]
From August 8-10, 1988, there were fires and explosions in the 3704th Ammunition Depot of the40th Army (Soviet Union), located in the Kelgai Valley near the town.[10] The detonation of the explosives storage facility, according to eyewitnesses, resembled a nuclear one with the appearance of a characteristic nuclear "mushroom cloud". Eight soldiers and one civilian cook may have been killed, with others wounded. Western sources reported that the SovietMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union) denied there had been any casualties.[11]
The lead nation of the localProvincial Reconstruction Team wasHungary, which operated in the city from 2006 to March 2013[citation needed]. Previous to 2006, the lead nation was theNetherlands.[12]
Taliban insurgents have been active in the Dand-e-Shahabuddin part of Puli Khumri since 2917.[13] On 5 May 2019, Taliban members stormed the city's police headquarters, killing 13 police.[14] On 1 September 2019, Taliban assaulted the city,[15] but were repelled by the Afghan Army. On 16 January 2021, the district'sNDS chief Fazal Wakilzada was killed in a Taliban attack.[16]
On 10 August 2021, Puli Khumri became the eighth provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of theirnationwide military offensive.[17][18] On 13 October 2023,7 people were killed and 15 injured in asuicide bombing at aShia mosque carried out byIslamic State – Khorasan Province.[19]
Puli Khumri is in avalley by theKunduz River in northern Afghanistan, about 100 km (60 mi) south ofKunduz, 200 km (120 mi) southeast ofMazar-i-Sharif, and 230 km (140 mi) north ofKabul. It sits at an elevation of approximately 920 m (3,020 ft) abovesea level, within theHindu Kush mountain range.
The city is a transit and trading hub in the region.[2] It is connected by theAfghanistan Ring Road withBaghlan to the north,Charikar to the southeast, andMazar-i-Sharif to the northwest.
Puli Khumri has 6 city districts (nahias),[2] covering a land area of 181 km2 (70 sq mi) or 3,752 ha (9,270 acres).[3] Agricultural lands accounted for the largest land use in the city (65%), with the majority of that land in Districts 3, 5, and 6. Districts 1 and 2 had the highest dwelling densities but District 5 is home to the most dwelling units. Puli Khumri has a diverse housing stock consisting of regular, irregular, and hillside houses as well as apartment buildings.[2]
Puli Khumri features acool semi-arid climate (BSk) under theKöppen climate classification. The average temperature in Puli Khumri is 15.9 °C or 60.6 °F, while the annual precipitation averages 282 mm or 11.10 in.
July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 28.5 °C or 83.3 °F. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 3.0 °C or 37.4 °F.
| Climate data for Puli Khumri | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) | 10.9 (51.6) | 16.2 (61.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 28.7 (83.7) | 35.3 (95.5) | 37.1 (98.8) | 35.9 (96.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 15.7 (60.3) | 9.6 (49.3) | 23.0 (73.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) | 5.7 (42.3) | 10.7 (51.3) | 16.0 (60.8) | 21.3 (70.3) | 26.5 (79.7) | 28.5 (83.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 22.5 (72.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 9.1 (48.4) | 4.2 (39.6) | 15.9 (60.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) | 0.6 (33.1) | 5.3 (41.5) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.9 (67.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 13.4 (56.1) | 8.2 (46.8) | 2.5 (36.5) | −1.1 (30.0) | 8.9 (48.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 31 (1.2) | 43 (1.7) | 63 (2.5) | 65 (2.6) | 27 (1.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 8 (0.3) | 20 (0.8) | 25 (1.0) | 282 (11.2) |
| Source:[20] | |||||||||||||
According to Afghanistan'sNational Statistics and Information Authority, Puli Khumri has an estimated population of 230,112 people.[4][21] In 2015 there were 24,586dwelling units in the city.[2]
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The economy of Puli Khumri is based onagriculture,trade,mining,transport, and textile production. There is at least one major textile factory in the city.[22] Agriculture is very important because of the rain and temperature;wheat,rice, and spices are the main crops. There are twodams in Puli Khumri, which provide the necessary electricity. Electrical transmission lines built from Puli Khumri bring a steady supply of electricity toKabul.
Afghanistan's first cement factory,Ghori I Cement Factory, was built in 1954 in Puli Khumri with financial support fromCzechoslovakia. A third plant is under construction since August 2025.[23] Thelimestone is mined from the hill behind the factory.[24]
There is acoal mine outside of the city in the village Kar-kar, but the production system is archaic.
There are a number ofpublic andprivateschools in Puli Khumri.[25][26] There are also a number ofuniversities.[27] Those who cannot go to school find a job.[28]
| Districts |  | |
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| Landforms | ||
