Nili, Daikundi
City in Daikundi, Afghanistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nili (Dari[a]: نیلی, Pashto[b]: نيلي) is a city in central Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Daikundi Province since 2004.[1] It is connected by a road network with Bamyan in neighboring Bamyan Province to the northeast and Tarinkot in Uruzgan Province to the south.[3]
Nili
نیلی | |
|---|---|
City | |
A distant view of Nili in 2011 | |
  Nili Location within Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 33°43′N 66°7′E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Daikundi |
| District | Nili |
| Established | March 2004[1] |
| Elevation | 2,022 m (6,634 ft) |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 46,681[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
Nili has a total land area of 9,022 ha (22,290 acres),[4] and an estimated population of around 46,681 people.[2] Although the majority are Hazaras, members of other neighboring ethnic groups are also in the city.[5]
The city, which has over 2,000 houses and businesses,[4] is within the Nili District and the Hazarajat region.[1] It sits at 2,022 m (6,634 ft) above sea level. The Nili Airport is located a few miles away from the town center known as Gul-e-Badam Square (Almond Blossom Square).
Nili is an urban village in central Afghanistan in which the majority of the land is not built-up.[4][6] Barren land is the largest land use and account for 79% of total land area.[4] There are only 239 hectares of built-up land use, of which 35% is residential and 40% is vacant plots.[4]
History
Nili became the capital of Daikundi Province in March 2004.[1] Prior to that, it was an ordinary town within the pre-2004 larger Uruzgan Province. Due to its geographical inaccessibility and harsh winter, it was not until April 2007 that the United Nations opened a UNAMA office.
In December 2008, then-President Hamid Karzai selected Azra Jafari as mayor of Nili, which made her Afghanistan's first female mayor.
On 14 August 2021, Nili was seized by Taliban forces, becoming the twenty-fourth provincial capital to be captured by them as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.[7][8]
Climate
Nili has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dsa) in the Köppen climate classification, with dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation mostly falls in spring and winter.
| Climate data for Nili, Daikundi Province | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15 (59) |
16 (61) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
32 (90) |
37 (99) |
39 (102) |
37 (99) |
34 (93) |
28 (82) |
24.0 (75.2) |
16.5 (61.7) |
39 (102) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
0 (32) |
8.0 (46.4) |
17 (63) |
24 (75) |
30 (86) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
27 (81) |
20 (68) |
12 (54) |
5 (41) |
17.2 (63.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.0 (14.0) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
5 (41) |
11 (52) |
17 (63) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
14 (57) |
8 (46) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−6 (21) |
5.6 (42.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.0 (−2.2) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−2 (28) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−19.0 (−2.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 67 (2.6) |
87 (3.4) |
95.0 (3.74) |
53 (2.1) |
17.0 (0.67) |
2.0 (0.08) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.0 (0.0) |
6.0 (0.24) |
33.0 (1.30) |
40 (1.6) |
401.5 (15.79) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2 | 7 | 7.6 | 74.7 |
| Average snowy days | 10 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 34 |
| Source 1: meteoblue[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: meteoblue[10] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Nili, Daikundi Province | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
27.8 (82.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
9.4 (48.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
15.7 (60.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
15.6 (60.1) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
12.5 (54.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
9.8 (49.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.2 (10.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
9.4 (48.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 62 (2.4) |
105 (4.1) |
102 (4.0) |
72 (2.8) |
37 (1.5) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
46 (1.8) |
25 (1.0) |
453 (17.7) |
| Source: Nomadseason[11] | |||||||||||||
Economy
The main source of income of Nili residents is agriculture, trade, transport, tourism, and remittance. The area is famous for growing almonds.[12][13] The Sukhtok Dam is located a few miles to the east of the city.[1]
Sport
Association football and cricket are the most popular sports in the area. The Nili Football Stadium is located near Nili Airport.
