Qarabagh (Qara Bagh), ( prs, قره‌باغ) is a district 56 km to the south-west of

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

in eastern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The 1,800 km² area is one of the most populated at 109,000; some reports count more than 218,000. The ethnic composition of the district includes

Hazaras The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzərə) are an ethnic group and the principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan and generally scatt ...

and

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

. The landscape varies in different parts of the district - deserts in the southwest, plains in the southeast and mountains in the north. The district is seriously affected by drought, especially farming and animal husbandry. Health and education need serious improvement.

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

militiamen are active in the area. Their threats have forced the girls' schools in the district to close. They briefly seized the government headquarters at the district centre in the town of Qarabagh in April 2007. The Taliban also seized the Giro district centre southeast of Qarabagh. In July 2007, the Taliban kidnapped 23 Korean aid workers as their bus was hijacked passing through the district on the road between Kabul and Kandahar.

Politics and Governance

The district chief was replaced in 2006 by

Zabit Salih Gul Zabit (Arabic: ضابط; Russian: Забит) is a central-Asian masculine surname of Arabic origin. It may refer to: *Zabit Magomedsharipov (born 1991), Russian mixed martial artist of Avar ethnicity *Zabit Samedov Zabit Samedov ( az, Zabit Səm ...

after the previous incumbent quit due to frequent threats by the Taliban. On 22 November 2009 one militant was shot dead in Ali Naizi village in Qarabagh district after an operation by ISAF forces.Operational Update, Nov. 22: Afghan-International Security Forces Kill, Detain Militants in Ghazni, Logar, Kandahar
. International Security Assistance Force. 22 November 2009.

Geography

Parts of the inhabited regions of the district are located in the

Qolyaqol Qolyaqol ( prs, قُلیاقُل) is a valley and a residential area in Afghanistan, located in Qarabagh, Ghazni Province in the Hazaristan region of Afghanistan in central parts of the country. Climate Qolyaqol has a hot-summer humid continenta ...

valley.

Healthcare

Education

Demographics

The two main Hazara groups in the district are

Muhammad Khwaja The Hazāra of Muḥammad Khwāja ( fa, هزارهٔ محمد خواجه) is one of the major tribes of the ethnic Hazara inhabiting Afghanistan. Emir Muhammad Khwaja belonged to the Barlas tribe. He was the son of Emir Haji SaifuddinPage 478 ...

, who tend to live in the center and north of the district, and Chahar-Dasta, who tend to live in the west."QARABAGH (Qarabāḡ), a district (woloswāli) of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan." Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, New York, 1996-.
/ref>

Economy

The area is poor and traditionally one of

out-migration Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location (geographic region). The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another (ex ...

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Lashkar Gah Lashkargāh ( ps, لښکرګاه; fa, لشکرگاه), historically called Bost or Boost (), is a city in southwestern Afghanistan and the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkargah District, where the Arghandab River merges into ...

, and

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

, as well as to other countries. The most of the population are depended on agricultural resources. The economy is largely based on the remittances of the men who work out of the region. Agriculture is mostly based on irrigation, but production is low. Autumn wheat dominates, but spring wheat, barley, potatoes, beans, onions, carrots, turnips and fodder plants are also cultivated. Other crops like almonds, mulberries, apricots, apples and grape may be found in some areas.

Infrastructure

Natural Resources

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204933/http://www.pajhwok.com/viewstory.asp?id=29703 * http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070418/3/30hxp.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20070817065921/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/20/afghanistan.kidnap.reut/index.html#cnnSTCText?

External links

Map of Settlements
AIMS, 2002

MinDat.org (mineral data) {{Authority control Hazarajat Districts of Ghazni Province