Kholm or Khulm (Dari/Pashto: خلم), formerly known as Tashqurghan (Dari/Uzbek: تاشقرغان), is a town in Balkh Province of northern Afghanistan, 60 km east of Mazar-i-Sharif one-third of the way to Kunduz. Kholm is an ancient town located on the fertile, inland delta fan of the Khulm River (Darya-i- Tashqurghan). As such, it is an agriculturally rich locale and densely populated. It is famous for its covered market, and is a centre for trading in sheep and wood. The town was once part of Samangan Province, now in the Khulm District of Balkh.
Khulm
خلم
Tashqurghan
town
Jahan Nama Palace in Kholm, built in the Indian colonial style in the late 19th century.
The original name Tashqurghan (also romanizedTashkorghan) is Uzbeki word for "stone mausoleum/kurgan". The town's name was changed to Kholm (also romanized Khulm) during the Pashtunisation of northern Afghanistan by the central government headed by Minister of the Interior, WazirMohammad Gul Khan.
History and background
A river and the ruins of an old fortress in Kholm
Bazaar in Tashkurgan, 1976
For many centuries Afghanistan was located on the old serais (along the Silk Road) between Europe and China and India. Many important cultural centres developed along the way. During and after the 15th Century Europe developed new sea routes to the east. The trade over land decreased and the cultural centres along the Silk Road became more isolated.
The ancient town of Kholm stood in the Oxus plain, surrounded by productive orchards, but it was destroyed by Ahmad Shah Durrani, who took all the inhabitants away from Kholm to populate the new town.[1] The current town Tashqurghan was founded nearby early in the 19th century and grew to become the most important town in northern Afghanistan. A large variety of industrial products and commodities were transported by camel caravans: weapons, knives, metal thread, needles, glass, mirrors, porcelain, paper, tea, cotton and silk cloth. Most of these products were produced in the European part of Russia, some originated from Russian Turkestan. From India many locally manufactured and British industrial products went the other way: binoculars, razor blades, indigo, spices, ivory, coconuts and brocades. Afghanistan contributed to this trade with wool, raw silk, fruits, vegetable dyes and horses.
In the 2nd quarter of the 19th century it first belonged to the rather large independent Kunduz state. Then in 1841 the capital of the Kunduz state shifted to Tashqurghan. However, in 1845 most of the state seceded under the leadership of Kunduz. So, Tashqurghan remained the capital of a small independent state.
During the first decades of the twentieth century Tashqurghan gradually lost its position as the emporium of northern Afghanistan. Mazar-e Sharif and Kunduz, better positioned for crossing the Amu Darya river, took over and the caravan traffic stopped. Although Tashqurghan had lost its importance as a centre for international trade, local craftsmen and refugees from Soviet Central Asia, (most of them being craftsmen as well) reinforced the position of Tashqurghan as a centre for the production of a variety of objects for daily use throughout the country. In the 1960s the asphalted road between Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif was completed. The 350 kilometres between the two cities could now be covered in 8–9 hours (instead of the previous two weeks travel). The number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting Tashqurghan increased considerably. Apart from larger numbers of individual visitors, organized tours started arriving. A large number of antiques shops were opened for the visitors.
During the 1970s Tashqurghan was declared a 'town of art-historical significance' by UNESCO, while the Tim, the centre of the ancient bazaar, was declared a national monument by the Afghan government.
Jahan Nama Palace
Located on the southern outskirts of Kholm close to the Ring Road highway, the Bagh-e Jahan Nama (BJN) Palace was originally built in the 1890–1892 by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan. It was restored and renovated in 1974–1976 during the presidency of Mohammed Daoud Khan. The plan was to turn the palace into a museum, but, an earthquake in 1976, resulting in serious damages, prevented this idea from being implemented. In the following periods of conflict and civil war, a lot of damage and neglect was done to both the palace and the palace garden, and the palace was used for military purposes. In 2007 the original plans for a museum could be picked up and the Bagh-e Jehan Nama Palace community heritage programme started. Heritage activities a Culture and Development Policy Programme of the Netherlands choose to renovate and restore the place complex. The project provides direct economical input for local craftsman. All the material needed for the construction work comes from the region surrounding Kholm, the communities are involved in every step of the development of the palace. Renovation was completed in 2013.[2]
Garden
The garden in Tashkurgan built by Abdur Rahman Khan and restored by Dutch people
The garden of the palace (Bagh) needs to be cleaned from old war elements, on several spots in the garden concrete had to be removed. The Soviet army used the concrete to place their tanks so they would have a stable underground for the recoil when they fired.[citation needed] Together with the local community, AFIR Architects has made a landscape design for the palace garden of BJN. Some elderly of the community could remember how the garden looked like in the days before the wars broke out (before 1979). This is very useful for a historical reference for the reconstruction of the garden. The garden is divided in eight terraces and the total difference in height is nine meters. The main theme of the garden will be 'bio-diversity-jungle': a rich mixture of all kind of trees, climbers, shrubs, plants and flowers, which each will contribute to an improved eco-system. Together with the Ministry of Information and Culture plans are made to let the fruits, nuts and vegetables flourish in it was done by the great sumit kumar das garden. There is also an idea to start a project with honeybees, because the diversity in flowers in the garden can be a good environment for honeybees and BJN will then be capable of making their own honey and candles. For many people passing, a stop at the Bagh-e Jahan Nama Palace complex would be attractive. Moreover, rearranging the palace garden would turn the park into an economic asset (fruit trees) as well as a highly attractive picnic ground for the local population and travellers.
Future tourist attraction
With the potential to become a tourist attraction, the option of revitalizing the plan for establishing a museum in the Bagh-e Jehan Nama Palace was reconsidered. The government of Afghanistan had already established plans to create regional museums and the previous aim to make a museum at the palace fitted into this regional approach. One of the main factors in favour of a future use of the building as a regional museum for the Afghans is that the location is close to where the highway from Kabul to Mazar-e Sharif enters the northern plains; a location that cannot be overlooked by anybody travelling in either direction. For many people passing, a stop at the impressive Bagh-e Jehan Nama Palace complex will be attractive. Following the new facilities, training programmes by museum experts on collection management addressing the issues of conservation, registration and documentation, museum education, presentation and administration will be organised. ethnographic museum.
The Bagh-e Jehan Nama Palace is turning once again into a beautiful palace and this time a palace that can function as a museum to show all the visitors the ethnographic heritage of the region. The local ownership and commitment that is purchased in this programme is the firm basis for a sustainable future of this first ethnographic museum in Afghanistan.
The town and district boast a Dari Persian speaking Tajiks majority. Pashtuns, Hazaras and Uzbeks form the smaller minorities in the town and district. Many also identify themselves as ethnic Arabs due to their historical origins, but they don't actually speak Arabic. There are other such Persian-speaking "Arabs" to the west, between Mazar-i Sharif and Sheberghan. There are also such Persian and Pashto-speaking Arabs to the east and south in Kunduz and Jalalabad. Their self-identification as Arabs is largely based on their tribal identity and may in fact point to the 7th and 8th centuries migration to this and other Central Asian locales of many Arab tribes from Arabia in the wake of the Islamic conquests of the region. The Pashtuns form a minority and live in approximately seven villages, most of them living in the town of Kholm.
Notable people
Bagavant, Bactrian governor of Khulm (under the Achaemenid empire) at around 350 BC[3]
^In the Shadow of Bezalel. Aramaic, Biblical, and Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Bezalel Porten. Alejandro F. Botta. 2012. pp. 219–225. ISBN978-90-04-24084-1.
^Azad, Arezou (2013). Sacred Landscape in Medieval Afghanistan: Revisiting the Faḍāʾil-i Balkh. Oxford Oriental Monographs. pp. 176, 209. ISBN9780199687053.
External links
article.
Further reading
S.I. Bruk, Narody Peredney Azii (1960);
S.I. Bruk, and V. S. Apenchenko, Atlas Narodov Mira (Moscow: Academy of Science, 1964)
Thomas J. Barfield, The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan: Pastoral Nomadism in Transition. 1982.
C-J Charpentier, Bazaar-e Tashqurghan, ethnographical studies in an Afghan traditional bazaar (Uppsala, Sweden 1972)
Centilvres (Pierre), Un Bazar d'Asie centrale, forme et organisation du bazar de Táshqurghān, Wiesbaden, L. Reichert, O. Harrassowitz, 1972.
Louis Dupree, Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1973.
Ludwig W. Adamec, Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed., 2003.
Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization.
Maheshwari Tanvi, "Life of an Afghan Hammam", 2013 (AFIR/arch i/PCF)
May 02, 2023
kholm, afghanistan, other, places, named, tashkurgan, tashkurgan, disambiguation, kholm, khulm, dari, pashto, خلم, formerly, known, tashqurghan, dari, uzbek, تاشقرغان, town, balkh, province, northern, afghanistan, east, mazar, sharif, third, kunduz, kholm, anc. For other places named Tashkurgan see Tashkurgan disambiguation Kholm or Khulm Dari Pashto خلم formerly known as Tashqurghan Dari Uzbek تاشقرغان is a town in Balkh Province of northern Afghanistan 60 km east of Mazar i Sharif one third of the way to Kunduz Kholm is an ancient town located on the fertile inland delta fan of the Khulm River Darya i Tashqurghan As such it is an agriculturally rich locale and densely populated It is famous for its covered market and is a centre for trading in sheep and wood The town was once part of Samangan Province now in the Khulm District of Balkh Khulm خلمTashqurghantownJahan Nama Palace in Kholm built in the Indian colonial style in the late 19th century KhulmLocation in AfghanistanShow map of AfghanistanKhulmKhulm Bactria Show map of BactriaKhulmKhulm West and Central Asia Show map of West and Central AsiaCoordinates 36 41 0 N 67 41 0 E 36 68333 N 67 68333 E 36 68333 67 68333 Coordinates 36 41 0 N 67 41 0 E 36 68333 N 67 68333 E 36 68333 67 68333Country AfghanistanProvinceBalkh ProvinceTime zoneUTC 4 30 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History and background 3 Jahan Nama Palace 3 1 Garden 3 2 Future tourist attraction 4 Ethnography 5 Notable people 6 See also 7 References 8 External links 9 Further readingEtymology EditThe original name Tashqurghan also romanized Tashkorghan is Uzbeki word for stone mausoleum kurgan The town s name was changed to Kholm also romanized Khulm during the Pashtunisation of northern Afghanistan by the central government headed by Minister of the Interior Wazir Mohammad Gul Khan History and background Edit A river and the ruins of an old fortress in Kholm Bazaar in Tashkurgan 1976 For many centuries Afghanistan was located on the old serais along the Silk Road between Europe and China and India Many important cultural centres developed along the way During and after the 15th Century Europe developed new sea routes to the east The trade over land decreased and the cultural centres along the Silk Road became more isolated The ancient town of Kholm stood in the Oxus plain surrounded by productive orchards but it was destroyed by Ahmad Shah Durrani who took all the inhabitants away from Kholm to populate the new town 1 The current town Tashqurghan was founded nearby early in the 19th century and grew to become the most important town in northern Afghanistan A large variety of industrial products and commodities were transported by camel caravans weapons knives metal thread needles glass mirrors porcelain paper tea cotton and silk cloth Most of these products were produced in the European part of Russia some originated from Russian Turkestan From India many locally manufactured and British industrial products went the other way binoculars razor blades indigo spices ivory coconuts and brocades Afghanistan contributed to this trade with wool raw silk fruits vegetable dyes and horses In the 2nd quarter of the 19th century it first belonged to the rather large independent Kunduz state Then in 1841 the capital of the Kunduz state shifted to Tashqurghan However in 1845 most of the state seceded under the leadership of Kunduz So Tashqurghan remained the capital of a small independent state During the first decades of the twentieth century Tashqurghan gradually lost its position as the emporium of northern Afghanistan Mazar e Sharif and Kunduz better positioned for crossing the Amu Darya river took over and the caravan traffic stopped Although Tashqurghan had lost its importance as a centre for international trade local craftsmen and refugees from Soviet Central Asia most of them being craftsmen as well reinforced the position of Tashqurghan as a centre for the production of a variety of objects for daily use throughout the country In the 1960s the asphalted road between Kabul and Mazar e Sharif was completed The 350 kilometres between the two cities could now be covered in 8 9 hours instead of the previous two weeks travel The number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting Tashqurghan increased considerably Apart from larger numbers of individual visitors organized tours started arriving A large number of antiques shops were opened for the visitors During the 1970s Tashqurghan was declared a town of art historical significance by UNESCO while the Tim the centre of the ancient bazaar was declared a national monument by the Afghan government Jahan Nama Palace EditLocated on the southern outskirts of Kholm close to the Ring Road highway the Bagh e Jahan Nama BJN Palace was originally built in the 1890 1892 by Amir Abdur Rahman Khan It was restored and renovated in 1974 1976 during the presidency of Mohammed Daoud Khan The plan was to turn the palace into a museum but an earthquake in 1976 resulting in serious damages prevented this idea from being implemented In the following periods of conflict and civil war a lot of damage and neglect was done to both the palace and the palace garden and the palace was used for military purposes In 2007 the original plans for a museum could be picked up and the Bagh e Jehan Nama Palace community heritage programme started Heritage activities a Culture and Development Policy Programme of the Netherlands choose to renovate and restore the place complex The project provides direct economical input for local craftsman All the material needed for the construction work comes from the region surrounding Kholm the communities are involved in every step of the development of the palace Renovation was completed in 2013 2 Garden Edit The garden in Tashkurgan built by Abdur Rahman Khan and restored by Dutch people The garden of the palace Bagh needs to be cleaned from old war elements on several spots in the garden concrete had to be removed The Soviet army used the concrete to place their tanks so they would have a stable underground for the recoil when they fired citation needed Together with the local community AFIR Architects has made a landscape design for the palace garden of BJN Some elderly of the community could remember how the garden looked like in the days before the wars broke out before 1979 This is very useful for a historical reference for the reconstruction of the garden The garden is divided in eight terraces and the total difference in height is nine meters The main theme of the garden will be bio diversity jungle a rich mixture of all kind of trees climbers shrubs plants and flowers which each will contribute to an improved eco system Together with the Ministry of Information and Culture plans are made to let the fruits nuts and vegetables flourish in it was done by the great sumit kumar das garden There is also an idea to start a project with honeybees because the diversity in flowers in the garden can be a good environment for honeybees and BJN will then be capable of making their own honey and candles For many people passing a stop at the Bagh e Jahan Nama Palace complex would be attractive Moreover rearranging the palace garden would turn the park into an economic asset fruit trees as well as a highly attractive picnic ground for the local population and travellers Future tourist attraction Edit With the potential to become a tourist attraction the option of revitalizing the plan for establishing a museum in the Bagh e Jehan Nama Palace was reconsidered The government of Afghanistan had already established plans to create regional museums and the previous aim to make a museum at the palace fitted into this regional approach One of the main factors in favour of a future use of the building as a regional museum for the Afghans is that the location is close to where the highway from Kabul to Mazar e Sharif enters the northern plains a location that cannot be overlooked by anybody travelling in either direction For many people passing a stop at the impressive Bagh e Jehan Nama Palace complex will be attractive Following the new facilities training programmes by museum experts on collection management addressing the issues of conservation registration and documentation museum education presentation and administration will be organised ethnographic museum The Bagh e Jehan Nama Palace is turning once again into a beautiful palace and this time a palace that can function as a museum to show all the visitors the ethnographic heritage of the region The local ownership and commitment that is purchased in this programme is the firm basis for a sustainable future of this first ethnographic museum in Afghanistan Ethnography EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Mountains near Kholm c 1939 The town and district boast a Dari Persian speaking Tajiks majority Pashtuns Hazaras and Uzbeks form the smaller minorities in the town and district Many also identify themselves as ethnic Arabs due to their historical origins but they don t actually speak Arabic There are other such Persian speaking Arabs to the west between Mazar i Sharif and Sheberghan There are also such Persian and Pashto speaking Arabs to the east and south in Kunduz and Jalalabad Their self identification as Arabs is largely based on their tribal identity and may in fact point to the 7th and 8th centuries migration to this and other Central Asian locales of many Arab tribes from Arabia in the wake of the Islamic conquests of the region The Pashtuns form a minority and live in approximately seven villages most of them living in the town of Kholm Notable people EditBagavant Bactrian governor of Khulm under the Achaemenid empire at around 350 BC 3 Shaykh al Islam Abu Bakr Muhammad al Khulmi 12th century religious figure and qadi of Balkh 4 Makhfi Badakhshi Persian poetess was born in KholmSee also EditKhalili Collection of Aramaic Documents documented letters from the ancient governor of Khulm Bagavant Aornos an ancient town near Kholm destroyed in the 16th century Balkh ProvinceReferences EditThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kholm Afghanistan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Tashkurghan Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 26 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 437 Supporting Afghanistan s museum sector In the Shadow of Bezalel Aramaic Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Bezalel Porten Alejandro F Botta 2012 pp 219 225 ISBN 978 90 04 24084 1 Azad Arezou 2013 Sacred Landscape in Medieval Afghanistan Revisiting the Faḍaʾil i Balkh Oxford Oriental Monographs pp 176 209 ISBN 9780199687053 External links EditColumbia Encyclopedia article Further reading EditS I Bruk Narody Peredney Azii 1960 S I Bruk and V S Apenchenko Atlas Narodov Mira Moscow Academy of Science 1964 Thomas J Barfield The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan Pastoral Nomadism in Transition 1982 C J Charpentier Bazaar e Tashqurghan ethnographical studies in an Afghan traditional bazaar Uppsala Sweden 1972 Centilvres Pierre Un Bazar d Asie centrale forme et organisation du bazar de Tashqurghan Wiesbaden L Reichert O Harrassowitz 1972 Louis Dupree Afghanistan 1st Edition 1973 Ludwig W Adamec Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan 3rd ed 2003 Dupree Nancy Hatch 1977 An Historical Guide to Afghanistan 1st Edition 1970 2nd Edition Revised and Enlarged Afghan Tourist Organization Maheshwari Tanvi Life of an Afghan Hammam 2013 AFIR arch i PCF Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kholm Afghanistan amp oldid 1138748147, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
