Pashtun Valley: Faryab Province of Afghanistan

Faryab is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Maymana. The majority of the population is Uzbek.

History;

Faryab is a Persian word meaning "irrigated land". The modern province is named after a town that was founded by the Sassanids and later destroyed by the invading Mongols in 1220. According to Ibn al-Nadim, medieval Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi was born in Faryab.

Demographics;

The Uzbek populations (53%) represent the majority in Faryab, followed by Tajiks (ca. 27%-30%). Other is Pashtuns (13%) and Turkmen people (ca. 4%-6%). Other sources indicate the number of Uzbeks as 60%, of Tajiks as 20%, of Pashtun and Hazaras as 10% and for Turkmen people goes the same percentage number (10%). However, the number of Pashtuns in Faryab is decreasing drastically like elsewhere in northern Afghanistan because many non-Pashtuns still take revange for the crimes of Taliban Pashtuns against non-Pashtuns.

Uzbeki is spoken by over half (53.5%) of the population. The second most frequent language is Persian (Dari), followed by Pashtu (17%), a bit more than the actual number of their population, and Turkmen language.

Around 89% of the population’s lives in rural regions, while 11% live in urban areas.

Economy;

Faryab province has been one of the more peaceful areas in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban after the U.S. invasion of 2001. Recent development projects in the province have focused on expanding the agricultural potential of the province, in particular the re-forestation of areas of the province that were denuded in the recent past.

District Population

Almar

Andkhoy

Bilchiragh

Dawlat Abad 39,000

Ghormach

Gurziwan

Khani Chahar Bagh 22,000

Khwaja Sabz Posh

Kohistan 38,200

Maymana 68,000

Pashtun Kot 159,300