Shindand

Shīnḍanḍ (Pashto: شينډنډ‎; Persian: شيندند‎) is a town and the center of the Shindand District, Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is located at 33.3036°N 62.14°E / 33.3036; 62.14 at 1,066 m altitude. The Shindand Air Base is located about 15 miles northeast of the town.

For other uses, see Shindand (disambiguation).
Shindand

شينډنډ
Shindand
Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 33°18′13″N 62°8′24″E
Country Afghanistan
ProvinceHerat Province
DistrictShindand District
Elevation
3,497 ft (1,066 m)
Time zoneUTC+4:30

Shindand is at the northern end of Zirko Valley, which is one of main centers of poppy production in western Afghanistan. The town is located south of Adriskan, where a large police training facility exists. The population is mixed, includes Pashtuns, Tajiks and others, though Pashtuns make up the majority. The main languages spoken in the area are Pashto and Dari Persian. During the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989) the 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division was headquartered in the town.

Etymology

The name Shindand means "green pond" in Pashto.[1] The city was previously known as Sabzawar and Asfezar.[2]

History

Sabzawar was once a city of considerable size, and still possesses a fortress with sides of about 200 or 250 yards. This fortress has been abandoned, and the town, which is the centre of a group of villages is now fairly prosperous, with a bazaar of about 500 shops. The plains about Sabzawar are highly cultivated by the Nurzai Duranis, and each village is protected by its own little mud fort.

Climate

With an influence from the local steppe climate, Shindand features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Shindand is 16.5 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 168 mm.

July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 29.4 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 4.1 °C.

Climate data for Shindand
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 11.1
(52.0)		 13.3
(55.9)		 19.4
(66.9)		 24.1
(75.4)		 30.1
(86.2)		 35.8
(96.4)		 37.7
(99.9)		 36.3
(97.3)		 31.9
(89.4)		 25.8
(78.4)		 18.4
(65.1)		 13.1
(55.6)		 24.8
(76.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.1
(39.4)		 6.6
(43.9)		 12.1
(53.8)		 16.5
(61.7)		 21.8
(71.2)		 27.1
(80.8)		 29.4
(84.9)		 27.4
(81.3)		 22.5
(72.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 9.4
(48.9)		 5.2
(41.4)		 16.5
(61.8)
Average low °C (°F) −2.8
(27.0)		 −0.1
(31.8)		 4.9
(40.8)		 9.0
(48.2)		 13.5
(56.3)		 18.4
(65.1)		 21.1
(70.0)		 18.6
(65.5)		 13.1
(55.6)		 6.7
(44.1)		 0.4
(32.7)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 8.4
(47.0)
Source: Climate-Data.org[3]

Shindand Air Base

The Shindand Air Base is located about 15 miles to the northeast of the town, which currently occupied by Afghan and NATO's International Security Assistance Force. It is a former Soviet airfield, repaired by U.S. forces. The area is flat and arid, with foothills to the north and west. The Kandahar–Herat Highway, which is part of Afghanistan's Highway 1, passes next to the Shindand Air Base. A free medical clinic supported by the Afghan National Army (ANA) provides free medical care for the population of the town.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. L. W. Adamec, Historical And Political Gazetteer Of Afghanistan, Vol. 3, Herat and Northwestern Afghanistan, Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt, 1972, ISBN 978-3201009423, p. 343
  2. "ASFEZĀR – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  3. "Climate: Shindand – Climate-Data.org". Retrieved 9 September 2016.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sabzawar". Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 969.

Further reading
  • Louis Dupree, Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1973; Ludwig W. Adamec, Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed., 2003.
  • S. I. Bruk, Narody Peredney Azii (1960); S.I. Bruk, and V. S. Apenchenko, Atlas Narodov Mira (Moscow: Academy of Science, 1964) A. Gabriel, Religionsgeographie von Persien (Vienna, 1971).
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