Shindand, Herat

Shindand
Shindand Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates:
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Herat Province
District	Shindand District
Elevation	3,497 ft (1,066 m)
Time zone	UTC+4:30

Shindand (Pashto: شين ډنډ‎) is a town and the center of the Shindand District, Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is located at at 1066 m altitude. The Shindand Air Base is located about 15 miles northeast of the town.

Shindand is at the northern end of Zirko Valley, which is one of main centers of poppy production in western Afghanistan. The town is located south of Adriskan, where a large police training facility exists. The population is mixed, includes Pashtuns, Tajiks and others. Though Pashtuns make up the majority. The main languages spoken in the area are Dari and Pashto. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) the 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division was headquartered in the town. Shindand is the biggest district in Afghanistan.

Etymology

The name Shindand means "green pond" in Pashto.

Shindand Air Base

The Shindand Air Base is located about 15 miles to the northeast of the town, which currently occupied by Afghan and NATO's International Security Assistance Force. It is a former Soviet airfield, repaired by U.S. forces. The area is flat and arid, with foothills to the north and west. The Kandahar–Herat Highway, which is part of Afghanistan's Highway 1, passes next to the Shindand Air Base. A free medical clinic supported by the Afghan National Army (ANA) provides free medical care for the population of the town.

See also

• Zirkoh Azizabad airstrike

Notable people

• Ismail Khan
• Amanullah Khan

Literature

• Louis Dupree, Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1973; Ludwig W. Adamec, Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed., 2003.
• S.I. Bruk, Narody Peredney Azii (1960); S.I. Bruk, and V. S. Apenchenko, Atlas Narodov Mira (Moscow: Academy of Science, 1964) A. Gabriel, Religionsgeographie von Persien (Vienna, 1971).

External links

• Photo of Shindand market vendor Robert Lankenau, 2005-03-26