Mihtarlam
Mehtarlam
مهترلام | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top: An alley in Mehtarlam (2005); a highway checkpoint (2005); Mehtarlam RTC (2011) | |
  Mehtarlam Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 34°40′06″N 70°12′32″E / 34.66833°N 70.20889°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Laghman |
| District | Mehtarlam |
| Named after | Lamech |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Maulvi Obaidullah Saqib |
| Elevation | 779 m (2,556 ft) |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
| 160,123 | |
| • Urban | 6,638 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
| Climate | BSk |
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Mehtarlam, also spelled as Mihtarlam (Pashto[a], Dari[b]: مهترلام), is a city in eastern Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Laghman Province.[2][3] It is within the jurisdiction of Mehtarlam District and has an estimated population of 160,123 people.[1]
The city is situated in the valley formed by the Alishang and Alingar rivers, 47 km (29 mi) northwest of Jalalabad. There is a road between the cities that takes about an hour to travel by car. The Laghman University is in the northern part of the city, on university road.
Etymology
According to local legend, the surrounding Laghman Province (also known as Lamghan) is said to have been named after Lamech, father of Noah.
In the Persian language, mihtar means "headman", "lord" or "chief", and "Lam" is an abbreviation for Lamech.[4]
History
Amir Habibullah Khan built Qala-e-Seraj c. 1912–13 in Mehtarlam.[5]
On 6 February 2006, two people were killed by police in riots in Mihtarlam in events of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[6]
On 26 February 2017, two students were killed and seven others wounded when a rocket landed in Shaheed Mawlawi Abdul Rahman School in Basram.[7] On 14 April 2019, at least seven children were killed when unexploded ordnance detonated in Basram on the outskirts of Mihtarlam.[8][9]
Local officials spent 22 million Afs to rebuild Qala-e-Seraj in 2020.[10][11]
On 2 May 2020, a motorbike bomb exploded outside the provincial prison in Mehtarlam, killing three civilians and injuring four members of the Afghan security forces. Noor Mohammad, director of Laghman's provincial prison directorate, was among the injured.[12] On 5 October 2020, Provincial Governor of Laghman, Rahmatullah Yarmal, was slightly wounded after his convoy was targeted by a suicide car bomber.[13]
On 24 May 2021, Afghan government forces clashed with Taliban militants in Mihtarlam.[14] On 13 August 2021, Mehtarlam was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twenty-third provincial capital to be captured as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.
Climate
Mihtarlam has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).
Places of interest
- Qala-e-Seraj
- Hajji Dunya Gul Niazi Jamia Masjid
- Laghman University
- The Tomb of Lamech is located in the area. Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni built the shrine, amid gardens, over the site of his presumed grave, 50 kilometres from Mehtarlam.[15]
Sports
In 2021, the first stadium in Laghman opened in Mehtarlam.[16]
See also
Notes
- ^ Pashto pronunciation: [mi.t̪aɾ.lɑm, mih.t̪aɾ.lɑm]
- ^ Dari pronunciation: [mɪ.t̪ʰäɾ.lɑ́ːm, mɪh.t̪ʰäɾ.lɑ́ːm]
References
- ^ a b "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2025-26" (PDF). National Statistics and Information Authority. September 2025. p. 33. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "Library worth nearly $195,000 opens in Mehtarlam". Pajhwok Afghan News. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "Mullah Baradar: Afghanistan to Cut Dependence on Imported Electricity". TOLOnews. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "Afghanistan: Metar Lamech Shrine". www.culturalprofiles.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Qalat us-Seraj Palace, Mehtarlam, Laghman. | ACKU Images System". ackuimages.photoshelter.com.
- ^ Freeman, Simon (6 February 2006). "First deaths in Muhammad cartoon protests". Times. London. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ "Two Students Killed As Rocket Hits School In Laghman". TOLOnews. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Explosion in Afghanistan's Laghman province leaves 7 children dead". Times of Islamabad. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Explosion In Eastern Afghanistan Leaves Seven Children Dead". TOLOnews. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ^ "TOLOnews status". Twitter.
Archaeologists and residents in the eastern province of #Laghman said on Monday that the restoration of the historically-significant Seraj Castle (Qala -e- Seraj), which started two years ago, has been completed. #Afghanistan
- ^ "Seraj Castle Restoration Completed". TOLOnews.
- ^ "Three killed, four injured in blast outside Afghanistan's Laghman prison". iranpress.com. 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Afghan governor left injured after being targeted by suicide bomber". TRT World.
- ^ "Afghan Army, Taliban Clash Close To Kabul". RFE/RL. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Elphinstone, Mountstuart (2013), "Sultán Mahmúd. (997–1030.)", The History of India, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 532–579, doi:10.1017/cbo9781139507622.036, ISBN 978-1-139-50762-2, retrieved 15 December 2020
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link) - ^ "First Stadium Opened in Laghman". Bakhtar News Agency. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.