Kulob[a] or Khatlon[b] is a city in Khatlon Region in southern Tajikistan. Located 203 km (126 mi) southeast of the capital Dushanbe on the river Yakhsu (a right tributary of Panj), it is one of the largest cities in the country. Its population is estimated at 106,300 for the city proper and 214,700 for the city with the outlying communities (2020).[1] The city is served by Kulob Airport.
Kulob inscription, 200–195 BC: "Heliodotos dedicated this fragrant altar for Hestia, venerable goddess, illustrious amongst all, in the grove of Zeus, with beautiful trees; he made libations and sacrifices so that the greatest of all kings Euthydemos, as well as his son, the glorious, victorious and remarkable Demetrios, be preserved of all pains, with the help of Tyche with divine thoughts."[5][6]
The historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari refers to Khatlon as early as AD 737, although its founding is said to have been much earlier.[7] The Sufi mystic Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani died while travelling through Central Asia in 1384 and was buried in Khatlon in a tomb which still stands.[8]
Kulob Marketplace
The city was conquered by the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and subsequently formed part of the Timurid Empire.[9] It was incorporated into the Khanate of Bukhara in 1559[9] and subsequently usually aligned with the Emirate of Bukhara against Kokand and Afghanistan after the 18th century. Its name was changed to Kulob in 1750.[7] The local lord Surrah Khan imprisoned the British and Kokand agent Abdul Mejid on behalf of Bukhara in 1861 before the disorder in the emirate prompted him to release the party.[10]
During the Tajikistani Civil War in the early 1990s, the city served as the main base of the Popular Front militias. Danghara, a village in the Kulob area, is the birthplace of Tajikistan's president Emomali Rahmon. In September 2006, Kulob celebrated its 2700th anniversary.[11]
After Tajikistan's independence in 1991, Kulob was one of the three cities—alongside Dushanbe and Qurghonteppa—where the Russian 201st Motor Rifle Division was deployed. Following a number of scandals with local residents, Russia unexpectedly pulled its troops from Kulob in November 2015, effectively abandoning the base there.[12]
Geography
Climate
Kulob has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). The average annual temperature is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F). The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F) and the coolest month is January with an average temperature of 2.2 °C (36.0 °F). The average annual precipitation is 468.4 mm (18.44 in) and has an average of 72.8 days with precipitation. The wettest month is March with an average of 94.2 mm (3.71 in) of precipitation and the driest month is August with an average of 0 mm of precipitation.[13]
Before ca. 2018, Kulob was the seat of Kulob District, which covered Kulob's outlying rural areas.[14] The city of Kulob covers Kulob proper and four jamoats. These are as follows:[15]
