, native_name_lang=tg , image_skyline = Бохтар 2018.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = Bokhtar in 2018 , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Tajikistan , pushpin_label_position =bottom , pushpin_mapsize = 300 , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Tajikistan , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, subdivision_type1 =

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

, subdivision_name = , subdivision_name1 =

Khatlon Khatlon Region ( tg, Вилояти Хатлон, ''Viloyati Xatlon''), one of the four provinces of Tajikistan ( tg, вилоят, ''Viloyat''), is the most populous of the four first level administrative regions. It is situated in the southwes ...

, subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_name2 = , established_title = , established_date = , government_type = , leader_title = , leader_name = , area_magnitude = , area_total_sq_mi = , area_total_km2 = 26 , area_land_sq_mi = , area_land_km2 = , area_urban_sq_mi = , area_urban_km2 = , area_metro_km2 = , area_metro_sq_mi = , population_as_of= 2019 , population_footnotes = , population_total = 110 800 , population_urban = , population_metro = 190 000 , population_density_sq_mi = , population_density_km2 = 4261 , timezone = , utc_offset = , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes= , elevation_m = 430 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = 992-3222 , blank1_name_sec2 = , blank1_info_sec2 = , website = , footnotes = Bokhtar ( tg, Бохтар), previously known as Qurghonteppa or Kurganteppa, is a city in southwestern

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

, which serves as the capital of the

region. Bokhtar is the largest city of southern Tajikistan, and is located south of

Dushanbe Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (ru ...

and north of

Kunduz , native_name_lang = prs , other_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Kunduz River valley.jpg , imagesize = 300 , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_ ...

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 ...

Population

It is estimated that the population of the city is close to 110,800 (est. 2019) people, making it the third-largest city in the country. The population fluctuates depending on season (due to Tajik emigrant workers in Russia). Along with the capital

, Bokhtar is demographically much more diverse than other major Tajik cities such as

Khujand Khujand ( tg, Хуҷанд, Khujand; Uzbek: Хўжанд, romanized: Хo'jand; fa, خجند‌, Khojand), sometimes spelled Khodjent and known as Leninabad (russian: Ленинабад, Leninabad; tg, Ленинобод, Leninobod; fa, لنی ...

Kulob , image_skyline = Kulob 2700 th Anniversary monument - panoramio.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The 2700th Anniversary monument, Kulob , image_flag = , image_seal = , ...

or Istaravshan.

Ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

ities include Tajiks,

Uzbeks The Uzbeks ( uz, , , , ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the wider Central Asian region, being among the largest Turkic ethnic group in the area. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, next to Kazakh and Karakalpak mino ...

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

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 r ...

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

, Kazakhs,

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

and many more. The city had a large number of ethnic Russians who were actively employed by the industrial and agricultural complexes in and around the city. The political opposition in Tajikistan primarily comes from Bokhtar.Ethnic groups at risk: The status of Tajiks
Heritage Society

Overview

Bokhtar, then Qurghonteppa, became the epicenter of conflict by the summer of 1992 and was seriously damaged during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Many of the local Kulobi and Uzbeks were forced to flee in 1992 following advances and attacks from the pro-opposition Gharmi forces. 12 km east of the Tube, there stands a hill called Ajina tepe with a 12-metre-length image of Buddha in Nirvana, including remnants of a Buddhist Monastery from the 7th - 8th cent.

Bokhtar International Airport Bokhtar International Airport ( tg, Фурудгоҳи байналмилалии «Бохтар», translit=Furudgohi Baynalmilalii Bohtar, russian: Международный аэропорт «Бохтар»; ) is an international airport fiv ...

serves a handful of cities in Tajikistan,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. The city is considered to be the heart of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

("white gold") cultivation in Tajikistan. Bokhtar and Kulob are the main cities of south Tajikistan. Bokhtar is a regional hub (one of the top four), especially for

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becau ...

and

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

industries. The city was officially renamed on January 22, 2018 to "Bokhtar". Tajik emigrant workers (mostly employed in

) have significantly contributed to the local economy since early 2000s. File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the President of Tajikistan, Mr. Emomali Rahmon in a group photo with the personnel of the India-Tajik Friendship Hospital, in Quarghan Teppa, Dushanbe, Tajikistan on July 13, 2015.jpg,

Indian Prime Minister The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

and

President of Tajikistan The president of Tajikistan is the head of state and de facto head of government of the Republic of Tajikistan. The president heads the executive branch of the country's federal government and is the supreme commander in chief of the Armed Fo ...

Emomali Rahmon Emomali Rahmon (; born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov, tg, Эмомалӣ Шарӣпович Раҳмонов, script=Latn, italic=no, Emomalī Sharīpovich Rahmonov; ; born 5 October 1952) has been the 3rd President of Tajikistan since 16 Novem ...

with personnel of the India-Tajik Friendship Hospital in Bokhtar, 13 July 2015. File:Qurghonteppa,bazar1.jpg, Bokhtar Bazaar File:Qurghonteppa 2010 01.jpg, Taxi station in Bokhtar

Climate

Bokhtar has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BSk''), with cool winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is quite low, and peaks in spring, while summers are very dry.

Notable people

* Sergei Mandreko (1971-2022) - football coach * Nurudin N. Mukhitdinov (1959-) - politician

Trivia

Finnish electronic duo

Pan Sonic Pan Sonic was a Finnish electronic music group founded in Turku in 1993. The group consisted of Mika Vainio, Ilpo Väisänen, and Sami Salo. Salo left in 1996 leaving Pan Sonic a duo. The group was originally named Panasonic until 1998. In Dec ...

have a track entitled "Radio Qurghonteppa" on their 2010 farewell album Gravitoni.

References

External links

Kurgan Tepe
in ''Encyclopaedia Iranica Online'' {{Authority control Populated places in Khatlon Region