Taloqan
Afghanistan · Asia
About Taloqan
Taloqan, also written as Taleqan or Taluqan, is a city in northern Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Takhar Province. It is within the jurisdiction of Taloqan District and has an estimated population of 284,990 people. Ethnically, they are Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pashtuns and Hazaras.
Taloqan is home to Takhar University, which is in the northwestern part of the city. The Taloqan Airport is a few miles to the north.
The city has a number of bazaars, business centers, public parks, banks, hotels, restaurants, mosques, hospitals, universities, and places to play sports or relax.
Taloqan sits at an altitude of 876 m (2,874 ft) above sea level, and has a land area of 107 km2 (41 sq mi) with 28,691 dwelling units in it. The city is administratively divided into 6 city districts (nahias). There is a major road that passes through the city, linking it with nearby Kunduz in the west and Fayzabad in Badakhshan Province in the northeast.
The old city to the west on the riverside was described by Marco Polo in 1275 CE as:
"a castle called Taikhan, where there is a great corn-market, and the country round is fine and fruitful. The hills that lie to the south of it are large and lofty...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.