Bokhtar
Bokhtar, previously known as Qurghonteppa, Kurganteppa and Kurgan-Tyube, is a city in southwestern Tajikistan, which serves as the capital of the Khatlon region. Bokhtar is the largest city in southern Tajikistan, and is located south of Dushanbe and north of Kunduz, Afghanistan.
Population
In 2019, the city's population was estimated at 110,800, making it the third-largest city in the country. The population fluctuates depending on the season, due to the many Tajik migrant workers in Russia.Along with the capital Dushanbe, Bokhtar is more demographically diverse than the other major Tajik cities such as Khujand, Kulob or Istaravshan. Major ethnicities include Tajiks, Uzbeks, Russians, Pashtuns, Tatars, Ukrainians, Kazakhs and other Turkic peoples. The city had a large number of ethnic Russians who worked in the industrial and agricultural complexes in and around the city, during the existence of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.
Bokhtar is a stronghold of Emomali Rahmon's political opponents.
Overview
During the civil war in Tajikistan, Bokhtar became the epicenter of conflict by the summer of 1992, and was seriously damaged. Many of the local Kulobi and Uzbeks were forced to flee in 1992, following attacks by the pro-opposition Gharmi forces.The city was officially renamed from Qurghonteppa to Bokhtar on 22 January 2018. The name change was one of many in Tajikistan targeting places whose names derive from the Uzbek and Kyrgyz languages.
Near Bokhtar are the ruins of a Buddhist monastery complex called Ajina Tepe, believed to be built in the 7th or 8th centuries CE. It features a 12-meter-long image of Buddha in Nirvana.
Bokhtar International Airport provides flights to a handful of cities in Tajikistan, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Climate
Bokhtar has a semi-arid climate, with cool winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is quite low. It is highest in the spring, while summers are very dry.Notable people
- Sergei Mandreko - football coach
- Nurudin N. Mukhitdinov - politician
Trivia