Islam Qala
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A road in Islam Qala, Afghanistan
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  Islam Qala Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 34°40′00″N 61°04′00″E / 34.66667°N 61.06667°E / 34.66667; 61.06667 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Herat Province |
| District | Islam Qala District |
| Elevation | 2,398 ft (731 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 16,408 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Islām Qala (Pashto: اسلام کلا, Dari: اسلام قلعه) is a border town in the western Herat provinceofAfghanistan, near the Afghanistan–Iran border. It is the official port of entry by land from neighboring Taybad in Iran. The Dowqarun-Islam Qala border crossing is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of the town.[1]
Islam Qala is administered as part of Islam Qala District of Herat Province and is linked to the city of Herat via the Islam Qala-Herat Highway.[2] The town plays an important role when it comes to the economy of Afghanistan because a substantial volume of national trade passes through it.[3][4][5]
Islam Qala is believed to have a population of about 16,408 residents.[6] It has gradually expanded in the last two decades due to the establishment of various facilities. Among them is a refugees repatriation center in which large number of returnees are processed everyday by the Ministry of Refugees and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).[7][8] The town has Afghan Border Police and other national security forces.[9]
Islam Qala became a border town during the Durrani Empire in the 19th century, after Afghanistan became a sovereign state. Many armies, traders and travelers have passed through the town throughout history. The Asian Highway 1 (AH1), which is part of the Asian Highway Network from Tokyo in Japan to west of Istanbul in Turkey,[10] where it connects to the European route E80 (E80) that reaches to Lisbon, passes in Islam Qala.
On February 13, 2021, due to corruption and negligence,[11] large number of trucks were burnt by a fire incident at a parking area in Islam Qala.[12][13][14][15][16] On July 9, 2021, the entire town fell to the Taliban forces without incident. Since then the corruption in the town has been eliminated and government revenue increased to over 8 billion afghanis in less than a year.[5]
With an influence from the local steppe climate, Islam Qala features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Islam Qala is 17.3 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 225 mm.
July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 29.5 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 5.5 °C.
| Climate data for Islam Qala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
19.0 (66.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
35.9 (96.6) |
37.3 (99.1) |
36.4 (97.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
18.8 (65.8) |
13.5 (56.3) |
25.0 (77.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
16.5 (61.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
28.2 (82.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
6.6 (43.9) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
1.2 (34.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.6 (47.5) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
9.6 (49.3) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[17] | |||||||||||||
