Qurghonteppa
Qurghonteppa or Kurganteppa, officially known as Bokhtar (Tajik: Бохтар),[1] is a city in southwestern Tajikistan, which serves as the capital of the Khatlon region. Qurghonteppa is the largest city of southern Tajikistan, and is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Dushanbe and 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kunduz, Afghanistan.
Bokhtar Бохтар | |
|---|---|
 Qurghonteppa in 2018 | |
  Bokhtar Location in Tajikistan | |
| Coordinates: 37°50′11″N 68°46′49″E | |
| Country |  |
| Province | Khatlon |
| Area | |
| • City | 26 km2 (10 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 430 m (1,410 ft) |
| Population (2019) | |
| • City | 110 800 |
| • Density | 4,261/km2 (11,040/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 190 000 |
| Area code(s) | 992-3222 |
Population
It is estimated that the population of the city is close to 110,800 (est. 2019) people, making it the third-largest city in the country. The population fluctuates depending on season (due to Tajik immigrant workers in Russia).
Along with the capital Dushanbe, Qurghonteppa is demographically much more diverse than other major Tajik cities such as Khujand, Kulob or Istaravshan.[2] Ethnicities include Tajiks, Uzbeks, Russians, Pashtuns, Tatars, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Greeks and many more. The city had a large number of ethnic Russians who were actively employed by the industrial and agricultural complexes in and around the city.
The political opposition in Tajikistan primarily comes from Qurghonteppa.[3]
Overview
Bokhtar, then Qurghonteppa, became the epicenter of conflict by the summer of 1992 and was seriously damaged during the civil war.[4] Many of the local Kulobi and Uzbeks were forced to flee in 1992 following advances and attacks from the pro-opposition Gharmi forces.[5]
Qurghonteppa International Airport serves a handful of cities in Tajikistan, Russia and Kazakhstan. The city is considered to be the heart of cotton ("white gold") cultivation in Tajikistan.
Bokhtar and Kulob are the main cities of south Tajikistan. Bokhtar is a regional hub (one of the top four), especially for banking and telecommunications industries.
The city was officially renamed on January 22, 2018 to "Bokhtar".[6].
Tajik immigrant workers (mostly employed in Russia) have significantly contributed to the local economy since early 2000s.
Climate
Bokhtar has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with cool winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is quite low, and peaks in spring, while summers are very dry.
| Climate data for Qurghonteppa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) |
27.9 (82.2) |
33.4 (92.1) |
36.7 (98.1) |
41.3 (106.3) |
43.6 (110.5) |
46.0 (114.8) |
42.8 (109.0) |
38.6 (101.5) |
36.1 (97.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
46.0 (114.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
24.2 (75.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
35.8 (96.4) |
37.3 (99.1) |
35.5 (95.9) |
31.2 (88.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
22.7 (72.9) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
26.4 (79.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.4 (39.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.2 (37.8) |
0.3 (32.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −24.1 (−11.4) |
−22.6 (−8.7) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−24.1 (−11.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36.1 (1.42) |
39.6 (1.56) |
61.0 (2.40) |
39.6 (1.56) |
24.1 (0.95) |
3.2 (0.13) |
0.3 (0.01) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.8 (0.03) |
8.8 (0.35) |
19.3 (0.76) |
29.8 (1.17) |
262.7 (10.34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 8.2 | 11.2 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 55.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.2 | 70.1 | 62.3 | 57.6 | 50.2 | 45.5 | 45.6 | 48.3 | 51.0 | 57.1 | 66.6 | 73.0 | 58.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 112 | 125 | 164 | 213 | 291 | 339 | 351 | 334 | 294 | 235 | 174 | 115 | 2,747 |
| Source 1: climatebase.ru[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (sun only, 1961-1990)[8] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Sergei Mandreko (1971-) - football coach
- Nurudin N. Mukhitdinov (1959-) - politician
Trivia
Finnish electronic duo Pan Sonic have a track entitled "Radio Qurghonteppa" on their 2010 farewell album Gravitoni.[9]
See also
- List of cities in Tajikistan
- Vakhsh Qurghonteppa football club
- Buddhistic cloister of Ajina-Tepa
References
- Переименование ряда городов, районов и селений Хатлонской области, Президент Республики Таджикистан
- Borjian, Habib, “Kurgan Tepe”, Encyclopaedia Iranica. Online edition 2005.
- Ethnic groups at risk: The status of Tajiks Heritage Society
- http://cesmi.info/wp/?p=435
- http://factsanddetails.com/central-asia/Tajikistan/sub8_6a/entry-4859.html
- Renaming of a number of cities, districts and settlements of Khatlon Province
- "Kurgan-Tyube,Tajikistan". Climatebase.ru. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- "Climate Normals for Kurgan-Tjube". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- "Discogs - Pan Sonic – Gravitoni".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bokhtar. |
- Kurgan Tepe in Encyclopaedia Iranica Online
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