Балх провинциясы: тарихы, экономикасы және болашағы

Province of Afghanistan
the province

Balkh is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts near the modern town. The city of Mazar e Sharif has been an important stop on the trade routes from the Far East to the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe. Home to the famous blue mosque, it was once destroyed by Genghis Khan but later rebuilt by Timur. The city of Balkh and the area of Balkh Province were considered a part of various historical regions in history including Ariana and Greater Khorasan. The province serves today as Afghanistan's second but main gateway to Central Asia, the other being Sherkhan Bandar in the Kunduz Province. Balkh Province borders Jowzjan, Sar e Pol, Samangan and Kunduz provinces, and the Surxondaryo Region of Uzbekistan to the north.

Like in other parts of Afghanistan, agriculture plays an important part of Balkh's economy. It is known for producing some of the sweetest melons and grapes. It is expected that the province will witness a major agriculture boost in the near future after the Qush Tepa Canal is completed, which "will irrigate 500,000 hectares of land in Balkh, Jawzjan and Faryab provinces." This will significantly increase Balkh's economy and population as many Afghans from other parts of the country will move to the province for employment purposes.

On October 5, 2018, in Washington, D. C., Afghan officials signed a 30 year contract involving a $56 million investment by investment group Centar and its operating company Afghan Gold and Minerals Co. for exploration of an area covering 500 square km for copper, with development of mining due to begin thereafter.

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 8% in 2005 to 15% in 2011. The percentage of births attended by a skilled birth attendant increased from 0% in 2005 to 20% in 2011. In 2018 Dr. Khalilullah Hekmati was appointed the Public Health Director which was followed by positive changes in the Health sector. which is a multi ethnic and mostly Persian speaking (63% Tajik, 20% Hazara) society. According to the Naval Postgraduate School:Balkh is ethnically diverse, including substantial Tajik, Hazara, Pashtuns, Arab, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Sunni Hazara (Kawshi) communities. According to the World Food ProgramAround 66% of the population of Balkh lives in rural districts while 34% lives in urban areas. Around 51% of the population is male and 49% is female. The major ethnic groups living in Balkh province are Tajiks and Pashtuns followed by Uzbek, Hazaras, Turkman, Arab and Baluch. Dari is spoken by about 50% of the population and 58% of the villages. The second most frequent language is Pashto, spoken by the majorities in 266 villages representing 27% of the population, followed by Turkmani (11.9%) and Uzbeki (10.7%).

Balkh province is divided into 15 districts. + Districts of Balkh ProvinceDistrictCapitalPopulationPop. densityNotesBalkh 136,097 536 254 Predominantly Farsiwans(Tajiks), few Uzbeks and Hazaras. Charbolak 91,539 607 151 Majority Pashtuns, minority Farsiwans (Tajiks, Arabs). Charkint 50,220 1,222 41 Mostly Hazara, minority uzbek and Pashtuns, some Farsiwans. Chimtal 103,630 1,917 54 Majority Uzbeks, minority Farsiwans tajiks, Pashtuns and Hazaras. Dawlatabad 119,083 1,804 66 Majority Farsiwans (Tajiks), minority Uzbeks, Hazaras, Turkmens, Pashtuns. Dihdadi 76,261 274 278 Mixed Kyrgyz, Farsiwans and Hazaras. Kaldar 22,586 803 28 Predominantly Uzbeks. Khulm Tashqurghan 83,032 3,204 26 91 villages. Mix of Uzbeks, Farsiwans (Arabs, Aimaq), Pashtuns, Hazaras. Used to be part of Samangan Province. Kishindih 55,003 1,083 51  Majority Hazaras, minority Pashtuns and Uzbeks. Marmul 12,888 375 34 Majority Tajik Farsiwan, minority Uzbeks, few Kyrgyz. Mazar e Sharif 484,492 67 7,218 40% Tajiks, 27% Pashtuns, 20% Hazara, 10% Uzbeks, 3% Turkmens. Nahri Shahi 50,752 1,409 36 Predominantly Farsiwans, some Uzbeks and Hazaras. Sholgara 129,271 1,755 74 40% Farsiwans (Tajiks, Arabs), 20% Pashtuns (Kandahari, Baloch, Kuchi), 20% Hazaras, 20% Uzbeks. Shortepa 44,773 1,563 29 Predominantely Turkmens, few Uzbeks. Zari 49,556 869 57 Predominantly Hazaras. Used to be part of Kishindih District. Balkh1,509,18316,1869340% Tajiks, 20% Hazara, 27.0% Turkic (17.4% Uzbeks, 1.7% Kyrgyz, 7.4% Turkmens, 0.5% Kazakhs), 18.3% Pashtuns (Kandahari, Kochi)

The locals of Balkh take great pride in their sporting history and culture. Every Nowruz (Persian New Year), Balkh is the site of many sporting events. Buzkashi is a traditional horse riding sport of the region and is very popular in this province. Kurash or traditional wrestling is also a popular sport in the province. However, the most popular presently and for the last 50 years has been football, this was evident in the Balkh team Simorgh Alborz F. C. finishing runners up in the inaugural Afghan Premier League and in their contributions to the National Team.