Islam Qala
Islam Qala | |
|---|---|
 Road leading to a small base of the Afghan Armed Forces at Islam Qala | |
  Islam Qala Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 34°40′00″N 61°04′00″E / 34.66667°N 61.06667°ECoordinates: 34°40′00″N 61°04′00″E / 34.66667°N 61.06667°E | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Province | Herat Province |
| District | Kohsan District |
| Elevation | 2,398 ft (731 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Islām Qala (Persian/Pashto: اسلام قلعه, also Eslām Qalʿeh), known historically as Kafir Qala,[1] is a border town in the western Herat province of Afghanistan, near the Afghanistan–Iran border. It is the official entry by land from neighboring Taybad, Iran.
Islam Qala is part of the Kohsan District in Herat Province and is linked to the city of Herat via the . It plays an important role when it comes to the economy of Afghanistan because a substantial volume of trade between Afghanistan and other countries passes through this town. AH1 passes through the town, part of the Asian Highway Network leading from Tokyo, Japan to west of Istanbul[2] where it connects to the E80 which reaches to Lisbon.
The town has a population of about 16,408.[3] The Afghan Border Police (ABP) secures the border while the regular Afghan National Police are in charge of all other law enforcement activities. The Afghan Armed Forces also have a small base at Islam Qala.
History[]
This city is the place of victory of the Persians against the Afghans (May 4 to July 1, 1729). As a result, the Persians were able to advance and capture the city of Herat.[citation needed]
On February 13, 2021, due to resource mismanagement and worker incompetence and mismanagement hundreds of tanker trucks were burnt by a fire incident at Islam Qala.[4][5][6][7][8]
On the early morning of 9th July 2021 the Taliban captured the town, which is the largest border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan.[9][10]
Climate[]
With an influence from the local steppe climate, Islam Qala features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Islam Qala is 17.3 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 225 mm.
July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 29.5 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 5.5 °C.
| hideClimate data for Islam Qala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
19.0 (66.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
35.9 (96.6) |
37.3 (99.1) |
36.4 (97.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
18.8 (65.8) |
13.5 (56.3) |
25.0 (77.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
16.5 (61.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.2 (82.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
6.6 (43.9) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
1.2 (34.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.6 (47.5) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
9.6 (49.3) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[11] | |||||||||||||
See also[]
References[]
- ^ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Geonames database entry. (search) Accessed 2011-05-12.
- ^ ESCAP. "Asian Highway Route Map" (PDF). Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ "World Gazetteer". Archived from the original on 2013-02-09.
- ^ "Illiterate personnel presence led to Islam Qala blaze". Pajhwok Afghan News. March 1, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Oil tankers catch fire, gun shots heard in Islam Qala port in W. Afghanistan". Xinhua. February 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Fire 'catastrophe' destroys 100 fuel tankers near Iran border". Arab News. February 15, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Satellite Pics Show 500 Oil Tankers Destroyed On Afghanistan-Iran Border". NDTV. February 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "500 vehicles in flames after fuel tanker explodes on Afghanistan-Iran border". CNN. February 20, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "Taliban capture key Afghanistan border crossings". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ "In Afghanistan, the Taliban take the largest border crossing with Iran - BBC-Edition". Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ "Climate: Islam Qala - Climate-Data.org". Retrieved 9 September 2016.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islam Qala. |
- Planet satellite imagery:truck explosion
- Afghan refugees return home from Iran on YouTube, February 22, 2013, Al Jazeera English.
- Watch Situation in Islam Qala Herat: Iran-Afghanistan Oil Dispute on YouTube, January 20, 2011, Voice of America.
- Populated places in Herat Province
- Afghanistan–Iran border crossings