Kulob Tajik:Кӯлоб | |
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 The 2700th Anniversary monument, Kulob | |
  Kulob Location in Tajikistan Show map of Tajikistan Kulob Kulob (Bactria) Show map of Bactria Kulob Kulob (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia | |
| Coordinates:37°54′33″N69°46′55″E / 37.90917°N 69.78194°E /37.90917; 69.78194 | |
| Country | Tajikistan |
| Region | Khatlon Region |
| Elevation | 580 m (1,900 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• City | 214,700 |
| • Urban | 106,300 |
| Official languages | |
Kulob[a] orKhatlon[b] is a city inKhatlon Region in southern Tajikistan. Located 203 km (126 mi) southeast of the capitalDushanbe on the river Yakhsu (a right tributary ofPanj), it is one of the largest cities in the country. Its population is estimated at 106,300 for the city proper and 214,700 for the city with the outlying communities (2020).[1] The city is served byKulob Airport.
During theHellenistic period following theconquests ofAlexander the Great, the region of modern Kulob was part of theGreco-Bactrian Kingdom. AGreek inscription dating to the period 200–195 BC[3] has been discovered in which a person named Heliodotos dedicates afire altar toHestia for the sake of the kingEuthydemus I and his sonDemetrius I.[4][3]
The historianMuhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari refers to Khatlon as early as AD 737, although its founding is said to have been much earlier.[7] The Sufi mysticMir Sayyid Ali Hamadani died while travelling through Central Asia in 1384 and was buried in Khatlon in a tomb which still stands.[8]
The city was conquered by theMongol Empire underGenghis Khan and subsequently formed part of theTimurid Empire.[9] It was incorporated into theKhanate of Bukhara in 1559[9] and subsequently usually aligned with theEmirate of Bukhara againstKokand andAfghanistan after the 18th century. Its name was changed to Kulob in 1750.[7] The local lord Surrah Khan imprisoned the British and Kokand agentAbdul Mejid on behalf of Bukhara in 1861 before the disorder in the emirate prompted him to release the party.[10]
Following agreements between theBritish andRussian Empires over the disposition of Afghanistan, the city and its hinterland were incorporated into theRussian Empire as part ofits conquest of most ofCentral Asia. After theRussian Revolution, Kulob was only incorporated into theSoviet Union in March 1921[9] and was organized as part of theTajik Soviet Socialist Republic in 1929. Kulob was one of the largest cities in the republic.
During theTajikistani Civil War in the early 1990s, the city served as the main base of thePopular Front militias.Danghara, a village in the Kulob area, is the birthplace of Tajikistan's presidentEmomali Rahmon. In September 2006, Kulob celebrated its 2700th anniversary.[11]
After Tajikistan's independence in 1991, Kulob was one of the three cities—alongsideDushanbe andQurghonteppa—where the Russian201st Motor Rifle Division was deployed. Following a number of scandals with local residents, Russia unexpectedly pulled its troops from Kulob in November 2015, effectively abandoning the base there.[12]
Kulob has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification:Csa). The average annual temperature is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F). The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F) and the coolest month is January with an average temperature of 2.2 °C (36.0 °F). The average annual precipitation is 468.4 mm (18.44 in) and has an average of 72.8 days with precipitation. The wettest month is March with an average of 94.2 mm (3.71 in) of precipitation and the driest month is August with an average of 0 mm of precipitation.[13]
| Climate data for Kulob | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) | 4.8 (40.6) | 10.4 (50.7) | 16.9 (62.4) | 21.2 (70.2) | 26.0 (78.8) | 28.3 (82.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 16.2 (61.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 15.8 (60.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 53.8 (2.12) | 64.6 (2.54) | 94.2 (3.71) | 82.5 (3.25) | 59.0 (2.32) | 6.1 (0.24) | 3.7 (0.15) | 0.5 (0.02) | 1.3 (0.05) | 24.0 (0.94) | 33.9 (1.33) | 44.8 (1.76) | 468.4 (18.44) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.7 | 9.2 | 12.3 | 11.8 | 9.6 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 7.9 | 72.8 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 75.5 | 72.2 | 68.0 | 63.6 | 55.0 | 39.1 | 34.0 | 35.1 | 38.4 | 49.4 | 62.4 | 71.8 | 55.4 |
| Source:"The Climate of Kulob". Weatherbase. Retrieved2 August 2014. | |||||||||||||
Before ca. 2018, Kulob was the seat ofKulob District, which covered Kulob's outlying rural areas.[14] The city of Kulob covers Kulob proper and fourjamoats. These are as follows:[15]
| Jamoat | Population (Jan. 2015)[15] |
|---|---|
| Dahana | 29,776 |
| Kulab | 19,840 |
| Zarbdor | 23,839 |
| Ziraki | 28,747 |
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Capital:Bokhtar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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