View source for Maymana

{{Short description|City in Faryab Province, Afghanistan}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
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|official_name          =Maymana
|other_name             =
|native_name            = {{Nq|میمنه}} |native_name_lang       = fa<!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
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|subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name      = {{flag|Afghanistan}}
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Afghanistan|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Faryab Province]]
|subdivision_type2      = District
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|leader_title           = Mayor
|leader_name            = [[Damla Mohibullah]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independenturdu.com/node/93411|title=افغانستان میں طالبان کا مشہور سنائپربنا شہر کا میئر|date=9 February 2022}}</ref>
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|area_total_km2           = 35
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|population_as_of               =2022 est
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|population_total               =100650
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|population_urban               =149,040 <ref name=UN>{{cite web|title=The State of Afghan Cities report2015 |url=http://unhabitat.org/books/soac2015/ |ref=UN-Habitat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031111515/http://unhabitat.org/books/soac2015/ |archive-date=2015-10-31 }}</ref>
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|population_blank1_title        =Ethnicities
|population_blank1              = [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] ,[[Pashtuns|Pashtun]]  [[Turkmens|Turkmen]]
|population_blank2_title        =Religions
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|timezone               = [[UTC+4:30]]
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|coordinates            = {{coord|35|56|N|64|45|E|region:AF|display=inline}}
|elevation_footnotes    =  <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m            = 877
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'''Maymana''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]/[[Uzbek language|Uzbek]]/[[Pashto]]: {{lang|fa|{{nq|میمنه}}}}) is the capital city of [[Faryab Province]] in northwestern [[Afghanistan]], near the [[Afghanistan–Turkmenistan border]]. It is approximately {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of the country's capital [[Kabul]], and is located on the Maymana River, which is a tributary of the [[Murghab River]]. The population of Maymana was 149,040 in 2015,<ref name=UN /> making it one of the largest cities of northwestern Afghanistan.
On 14 August 2021, Maymana was seized by [[Taliban]] fighters, becoming the twenty-second provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider [[2021 Taliban offensive]]. As of January 2022, however, clashes between Taliban and resistance fighters and protests have been reported in the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-arrest-uzbek-commander-clashes/31677178.html|title=Taliban's Arrest Of Ethnic Uzbek Commander Sparks Clashes In Northern Afghanistan|first=Bruce|last=Pannier|publisher=Radio Free Europe|date=January 29, 2022|accessdate=January 30, 2022}}</ref>
==Location==
Maymana is located at the northern foot of the Torkestan Range at an [[altitude|elevation]] of {{convert|877|m|ft|abbr=on}} on the old terrace of the Qeysar or Maymana River, which is a right tributary of the [[Murghab River]]. The Maymana River branches off of the Band-e Turkistan River 50&nbsp;km south of the city. The highlands of the Maymana region generally possess a very rich topsoil which supports the seasonal agricultural activities.
==Land use==
Maymana is a trading and transit hub in northern Afghanistan. Just over half of the land in Maymana is non built-up (57%) consisting largely of agriculture.<ref name=soac2015 /> The central districts (2-5) have higher dwelling density and clear road grids.<ref name=soac2015 /> The outer districts(1, 7-10) are characterized by more agricultural land.<ref name=soac2015 />
==Population==
During the 19th century, the population of the settlement was estimated at 15,000–18,000 families (or roughly 75,000-95,000 individuals)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=Jonathan L. |date=1987 |title=The History of Maimana in Northwestern Afghanistan 1731-1893 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4299788 |journal=Iran |volume=25 |pages=107–124 |doi=10.2307/4299788 |issn=0578-6967}}</ref> and was assumed to be a dominantly Uzbek city due to the market language which was mostly [[Chagatai language]] [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] and [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]]. However, documents show it was a city of different a minority of ethnicities and people such as [[Turkmens]] ,[[Tajiks]]. In 1958, the population was estimated to be 30,000. By 1979 this had risen to 38,250, and by 1982 to 56,973. Since there was never an official population census, those previous data should not be taken seriously. In 2004, it was estimated that Maymana has a population of 75,900 but was not backed by any evidence. In 2015, the population was estimated to be 149,040 by UN supported observers.<ref name=UN /> Maymana has 10 districts and a total land area of 3,461 [[hectares]].<ref name=soac2015>{{cite web|title=The State of Afghan Cities report 2015|url=http://unhabitat.org/books/soac2015_volume2/|ref=UN-Habitat|access-date=2015-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031111658/http://unhabitat.org/books/soac2015_volume2/|archive-date=2015-10-31|url-status=dead}}</ref> The total number of dwellings in this city are 16,560.<ref name=soac2015 />
==History==
[[File:People of Maymana2 in Faryab province.jpg|thumb|A market street in Maymana]]
[[File:People of Maymana in Faryab province.jpg|thumb|locals in Maymana with a female Norwegian soldier.]]
The town is of ancient origin. It seems clear that Maymana citadel dates back to the early [[Iron Age]]. Ceramic materials in a nearby cave at Bilchiragh are from the [[Paleolithic]] and late [[Neolithic]]-Bronze Age.{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} Between 800 B.C and 700 A.D it was part of [[Medes|Median]] and [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]], as well of [[Kushan Empire|Kushanian]] and [[Hephthalites|Hephtalite]], before being subjugated by Arabs during the [[Early Muslim conquests|Islamic Conquest]] who used local Iranian vassals to rule the region. In the 7th and 8th century it was the residence of the Malik of [[Guzganan]], last Kushanian remnants, which was then under the control of the [[Farighunid]], a native [[dynasty]]. From the 9th to 11th century the region was ruled by several rulers and dynasties ([[Saffarid]], [[Mihrabanid]], [[Nasrid]]...) from Sistan and then being subjugated by the Iranian [[Samanid]] and the Irano-Turkic [[Ghaznavid]] and [[Khwarizm]] rulers.
In the 12th and 13th century the region was devastated by nomadic Turks and invading Mongols. It took long for the region, nearly 200 years, to recover from the damage the nomadic and invading Turko-Mongol foreigners from northern [[Central Asia]] had caused. The area's population remained thin and the commercial trade was very weak but enough for the survivors to develop new agricultural and rebuild old structures. While the city was garrisoned and hosted Iranians and some Arabs, the villages as well owned by Iranians and settled remnants of Arabs, the deserts and steppe were home of wandering nomads of Turko-Mongolian and Iranian stocks ([[Aymaq]]).
In the 16th century, the Turkic [[Uzbekistan|Uzbek]] influence came to Maymana with the invasions of [[Turkestan|Turkistan]] and [[Herat]] by [[Muhammad Shaibani]]. For the region it was again a complicated time. However, Shaibani was defeated by the Iranian [[Saffavids]] but the Uzbek elements remained dominant from then up to day in the region until in the 18th and 19th centuries.
During that time the city became the center of the [[Maimana Khanate]]<ref name="Chaffetz1981">{{cite book|author=David Chaffetz|title=A Journey Through Afghanistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gUUCK2xrijIC&q=central+asian+features+turkish+popular+blood&pg=PA63|year=1981|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-10064-7|pages=63–}}</ref> and an important centre for commerce, as well as being the gateway to [[Turkestan|Turkistan]] from [[Herat]] and [[Iran]]. It served as an important cultural and trade centre for the whole region and served to connect various different states and peoples. Under the Uzbek rule, the city experienced a sudden renaissance, starting from the conquest of the area by Muhammad Shaibani and lasting all the way down to the Pashtun subjugation of the region. In 1876, under [[Sher Ali Khan]], the city fell to the kingdom of Kabul and was viciosly put in ruins. As result, only ten percent of the population remained alive while a large part either died or left the city for other regions after the horrific slaughter.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
In the 20th century, the city was once strongly walled with thick walls and towers and surrounded by a moat, but in the 20th century all this has been reduced to an anonymous mound. In 1934, the rebuilding of the city started, and in 1949 the northern parts of the old city were renewed, the old city citadel changed to a park. Maymana was the administrative center of [[Meymaneh Province]] until the disintegration of the province.
As part of the [[International Security Assistance Force]] operation in Afghanistan, a [[Provincial Reconstruction Team]] led by [[Norway]] formerly operated in the province. The team also included [[Latvia]]n troops.
==Transportation==
Maymana is served by [[Maymana Airport]] which had direct flights to [[Herat International Airport|Herat]] as of May 2014.<ref>2014 East Horizon Airlines Timetable, http://flyeasthorizon.com/flight-schedule/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003225730/http://flyeasthorizon.com/flight-schedule/ |date=2018-10-03 }}</ref>
==Economy==
The town serves an agricultural area irrigated from the Qeysar River and also handles the trade in [[Karakul (sheep)|Karakul]] sheep with nomads. Maymana is an important livestock centre in Afghanistan. In the 1970s, the wool and cotton processing industry was booming in the city. Maymana is a market for leather goods, silk, carpets, wheat, barley, melons and grapes.
There is also an [[Maymana Airport|airport]]  located 2 miles (3.2&nbsp;km) west of Maymana  in a valley surrounded by hills and a range of mountains  with some peaks reaching 12,000&nbsp;ft.; 24 miles (39&nbsp;km) southeast of the [[Turkmenistan]] border; and 64 miles (103&nbsp;km) south of [[Andkhoy (city)|Andkhoy]]. The runway is with gravel surface.
Maymana is, after [[Kabul]], [[Kandahar]], [[Herat]], [[Mazar-i-Sharif]], [[Jalalabad]], [[Kunduz]], and [[Ghazni]], the eighth-largest Afghan town with an independent women-managed radio station, Radio Quyaash, established in February 2005.
[[File:Panorama maymana.JPG|thumb|center|upright=3.2|Panorama of Maymana]]
==Climate==
Maymana has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa'') with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Maymana
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 25.3
|Feb record high C = 27.5
|Mar record high C = 32.6
|Apr record high C = 35.3
|May record high C = 39.8
|Jun record high C = 42.5
|Jul record high C = 44.5
|Aug record high C = 40.5
|Sep record high C = 38.3
|Oct record high C = 35.1
|Nov record high C = 30.6
|Dec record high C = 27.6
|Jan high C = 7.4
|Feb high C = 9.2
|Mar high C = 14.0
|Apr high C = 20.8
|May high C = 27.1
|Jun high C = 33.7
|Jul high C = 35.9
|Aug high C = 33.9
|Sep high C = 28.9
|Oct high C = 22.2
|Nov high C = 15.5
|Dec high C = 10.6
|Jan mean C = 2.0
|Feb mean C = 4.0
|Mar mean C = 8.4
|Apr mean C = 15.4
|May mean C = 20.1
|Jun mean C = 25.5
|Jul mean C = 27.6
|Aug mean C = 25.2
|Sep mean C = 20.5
|Oct mean C = 14.5
|Nov mean C = 8.6
|Dec mean C = 4.7
|Jan low C = -2.2
|Feb low C = -0.2
|Mar low C = 3.8
|Apr low C = 9.6
|May low C = 12.7
|Jun low C = 16.3
|Jul low C = 18.5
|Aug low C = 16.6
|Sep low C = 12.3
|Oct low C = 7.6
|Nov low C = 3.5
|Dec low C = 0.3
|Jan record low C = −22.5
|Feb record low C = -23.6
|Mar record low C = −12.7
|Apr record low C = -3.1
|May record low C = 2.4
|Jun record low C = 6.1
|Jul record low C = 10.6
|Aug record low C = 9.0
|Sep record low C = 0.2
|Oct record low C = -5.8
|Nov record low C = −12.0
|Dec record low C = −18.0
|Jan precipitation mm = 49.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 60.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 82.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 60.5
|May precipitation mm = 25.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 1.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 0.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 0.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 9.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 20.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 44.7
|Jan sun = 136.6
|Feb sun = 117.7
|Mar sun = 169.3
|Apr sun = 195.9
|May sun = 306.0
|Jun sun = 370.0
|Jul sun = 381.2
|Aug sun = 352.5
|Sep sun = 303.5
|Oct sun = 237.2
|Nov sun = 159.1
|Dec sun = 137.9
|Jan rain days = 5
|Feb rain days = 7
|Mar rain days = 11
|Apr rain days = 10
|May rain days = 4
|Jun rain days = 0
|Jul rain days = 0
|Aug rain days = 0
|Sep rain days = 0
|Oct rain days = 2
|Nov rain days = 4
|Dec rain days = 5
|Jan snow days = 6
|Feb snow days = 5
|Mar snow days = 3
|Apr snow days = 0
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 1
|Dec snow days = 3
|Jan humidity = 75
|Feb humidity = 73
|Mar humidity = 74
|Apr humidity = 68
|May humidity = 53
|Jun humidity = 38
|Jul humidity = 34
|Aug humidity = 34
|Sep humidity = 39
|Oct humidity = 49
|Nov humidity = 61
|Dec humidity = 71
|source 1 = NOAA (1964-1983) <ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-II/AH/40922.TXT
|title = Maimana Climate Normals 1964-1983
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = December 25, 2012}}</ref>
|date=December 2014}}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
* Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): ''An Historical Guide to Afghanistan''. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged.  Afghan Tourist Organization. (First edition: 1970.)
{{Faryab Province}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Populated places in Faryab Province]]
[[Category:Provincial capitals in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Cities in Afghanistan]]