Khandud
District center in Badakhshan, Afghanistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Khandud[a] is a town in northeastern Afghanistan, serving as the administrative center of Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province.[2][3][4] The town of Khandud is located near the left bank of the Panj River.[1] It is connected by a gravel road to Qazideh and Ishkashim in the southwest and Gazkhan in the northeast.[5][6][7]
Khandud
| |
|---|---|
  Khandud Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 36°56′56″N 72°19′1″E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Badakhshan |
| District | Wakhan |
| Elevation | 8,800 ft (2,700 m) |
| Population (2003) | |
• Total | 1,244 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
Khandud was historically the center of one of the four administrative districts of Wakhan, which extended from Khandud to Digargand, and the site of an aksakal with authority over the Sad-i-Khandud. The Zoroastrian fort of Zamr-i-Atish Parast lay close by.[1] It has long been used as a trade route between Kabul and Kashgar.[8][9]
Around the turn of the 20th century, it housed around 200 people. There was extensive cultivation, including willow for the purposes of firewood, with excellent grazing. More recently, the town seems to have been renamed Khan Daulat, which is listed as being about 29 kilometres southwest of Qala-i-Panjah.[1]
The population of Khandud was estimated in 2003 at approximately 1,244 people.[10] Most of them are the native ethnic Wakhi people of the region.
Climate
Khandud has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dsc) with cold, snowy winters and cool summers.
| Climate data for Khandud | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.3 (9.9) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.3 (55.9) |
13.2 (55.8) |
9.0 (48.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
1.4 (34.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46.6 (1.83) |
57.5 (2.26) |
79.0 (3.11) |
74.5 (2.93) |
60.3 (2.37) |
21.7 (0.85) |
16.1 (0.63) |
13.5 (0.53) |
8.8 (0.35) |
27.4 (1.08) |
35.8 (1.41) |
49.2 (1.94) |
490.4 (19.29) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 59.7 | 61.3 | 58.6 | 56.7 | 53.1 | 43.1 | 43.8 | 45.9 | 44.8 | 46.7 | 49.1 | 55.4 | 51.5 |
| Source: Weatherbase[11] | |||||||||||||
Economy
The people of Khandud are villagers involved in agriculture, transport, trade, and tourism. Some go to work in Kabul or in other Afghan cities.
