Isfara ( tg, Исфара fa, اسفره; russian: Исфара) is a city in

Sughd Region Sughd Province ( tg, Вилояти Суғд, Viloyati Sughd, Sogdia Region , fa, ولایت سغد) is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces ( tg, вилоятҳо, viloyatho , fa, ولایت) that make up ...

in northern

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

, situated on the border with

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

. The city was the seat of the former

Isfara District Isfara District or Nohiya-i Isfara ( tg, Ноҳияи Исфара) is a former district at the northeastern edge of Sughd Region, Tajikistan, bordering on Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley to the north and Kyrgyzstan to the south. Its capital was Is ...

. There are currently territorial disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan over the area of Isfara Valley.

History

The first author who mentions Esfara as a town, is Bābor. He praised the orchards and fruits of Isfara, especially its almonds. The 16th century saw the construction of large public buildings, notably

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s and

medreseh Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

. In the 18th century Isfara was the seat of the Khan of Ḵoqand whose wars with Bokhara resulted in the destruction of some historical monuments. Around 20 km south, in the village of Chorku, the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

Hazrati Shoh Mausoleum, is carved from wood, partly dating back to the 8th century, a structure that is unique in Central Asia.

Demographics

The population of Isfara is mostly Tajik.

Geography

Isfara is situated near the border junction of three independent states

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

and

, at a height of 863m above sea level. The river Isfara flows through the city. Its territory is 832 km².

Climate

The average temperature is 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) with the warmest month being July with an average temperature of 25 °C (77 °F) and the coldest month being January with an average temperature of -2.7 °C (27.1 °F). The average amount of precipitation is 544.6mm (21.4") and there are on average 74.3 days of participation.

Subdivisions

Before ca. 2018, Isfara was the seat of

, which covered the same area as the present city of Isfara. The city of Isfara covers Isfara proper, three towns and nine jamoats. These are as follows:Jamoat-level basic indicators
United Nations Development Programme in Tajikistan, accessed 3 October 2020

Economy

Some 20 industrial companies in Isfara produce electrical equipment, chemical and metallurgical products, construction materials, food products and others. Isfara is famous for its apricot orchards.

References

{{Sughd Populated places in Sughd Region Cities in Central Asia Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border crossings