Qala-i-Panjah

Qala-i-Panjah
Panj Valley close to Qala-i-Panjah (2019)
Qala-i-Panjah
Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 37°0′N 72°19′E / 37.000°N 72.317°E / 37.000; 72.317
Country Afghanistan
ProvinceBadakhshan
DistrictWakhan
Elevation
9,167 ft (2,794 m)
Time zoneUTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time)

Qala-i-Panjah (Dari: قلعه پنجه),[1] also written Qila-e Panjeh and Qala Panja,[2] is a village in the Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province in northeastern Afghanistan.[3] It lies on the Panj River, near the confluence of the Wakhan River and the Pamir River. The village and rest of the territory south of the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border is patrolled by the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army. The town of Khandud is to the southwest of Qala-i-Panjah, and much further to the northeast is Gazkhan.

Qala-i-Panjah was once the capital of the Wakhan Mirdom.[4] The former hunting lodge of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan, is near the village. Qala-i-Panjah also contains the shrine of Panja Shah.[5]

The village is inhabited by Wakhi people. The population of the village was reported at 640 over two decades ago.[6] A recent report indicates that about 108 families reside in the village.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Some Badakhshan historic sites direly need restoration". Pajhwok Afghan News. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  2. ^ a b "10 Badakhshan districts without specialist doctors". Pajhwok Afghan News. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  3. ^ "NGA GeoName Database". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  4. ^ Iloliev, Abdulmamad (2 July 2021). "The Mirdom of Wakhan in the Nineteenth Century: Downfall and Partition" (PDF). p. 11. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  5. ^ Lonely Planet Travel Guide (2007): Afghanistan p.170
  6. ^ "United Nations Environment Programme (2003) Wakhan Mission Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2010-07-25.