Gereshk
Encyclopedia
Gereshk is a town in Gerishk District
in Helmand province
on the Helmand River
in central Afghanistan
, some 120 km (74.6 mi) northwest of Kandahar
at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal
. Gereshk was originally built around a fort on the east bank of the river but was later rebuilt on the west. During the First Anglo-Afghan War
(1839–42), the fort was captured by the British but it was later abandoned; the same thing happened in 1879. Gereshk has a population of about 48,546 and has a developed hospital and a school of engineering
which was built back in 1957.
Gereshk is located on the important transport route known as Highway 1, which was built during the time of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. This route links Farah Province
in the west and to Kandahar Province
in the east. As part of Operation Moshtarak
the British Army
and Afghan workers are constructing Route Trident
, a road that will eventually connect Gereshk with the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.
tribe at the time of Taliban. Gereshk is one of the old and isolated Pashto-speaking towns flanking the southern half of the Hindu Kush
mountains, in a countryside that is primarily Pashto
in speech. In this, Gereshk resembles Farah, Sabzawar/Shindand
, Lashkar Gah, Ghazni
and Gardez. The ethnicity of the inhabitants by a majority is Pashtun. A strong majority of Pashtuns, Aimaq live peacefully alongside the old native inhabitants. A majority of the inhabitants are Sunnis Muslims, although the Sunnis are increasing their presence.
Mullah Mir Hamza an ethnic Pashtun
from Noorzai
tribe was the District governor of Gereshk
Mullah Mahmmad Azam an ethnic Pashtun from Noorzai
tribe was the Commander of Taliban in Gereshk
Textual sources:
Louis Dupree, Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1973;
Ludwig W. Adamec, Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed., 2003.
Cartographic sources:
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).
In November, 2003, Abdul Wahed dies in Gereshk at the special forces base, after torture by the Afghan army.
In April of 2008 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, Echo Co, was sent there to help support train the Afghan Police, Worked with the Danish and British Military.http://www.marine-corps-news.com/2008/11/hardhit_27_begins_return_from_1.htm
Gerishk District
Gereshk District , also called Nahri Saraj, takes the name from its principal municipality of Gereshk town in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan.-Demography:The ethnic composition is predominantly Pashtun....
in Helmand province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
on the Helmand River
Helmand River
The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin....
in central Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, some 120 km (74.6 mi) northwest of Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
at 817 m altitude. Gereshk is the centre of a rich agricultural region with the Kajakai dam upriver diverting water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal
Boghra Irrigation Canal
The Boghra Irrigation Canal is a man-made canal some 155 kilometres long in central Afghanistan in Helmand Province, serving to divert water from the Helmand River and the Arghandab for farmland. It was built in the 1950s....
. Gereshk was originally built around a fort on the east bank of the river but was later rebuilt on the west. During the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
(1839–42), the fort was captured by the British but it was later abandoned; the same thing happened in 1879. Gereshk has a population of about 48,546 and has a developed hospital and a school of engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
which was built back in 1957.
Gereshk is located on the important transport route known as Highway 1, which was built during the time of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. This route links Farah Province
Farah Province
Farah is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Farah. Farah is a spacious and sparsely populated province that lies on the Iranian border...
in the west and to Kandahar Province
Kandahar Province
Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...
in the east. As part of Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak
Operation Moshtarak was an ISAF pacification offensive in the area that is described as the "poppy-growing belt" of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. The combat operations started on February 13, 2010, and focuses on the Nad Ali District and Lashkar Gah district...
the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Afghan workers are constructing Route Trident
Route Trident
Route Trident was built by the British Army's Royal Engineers in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The construction of the road was codenamed Operation Lar Jarowel by the Ministry of Defence...
, a road that will eventually connect Gereshk with the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.
Ethnography
Gereshk was under control of NoorzaiNoorzai
SHARIEF KHAN NOORZAI IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFULL PASHTONS LEADER IN THE WHOLE AFGHANISTAN AND HE IS FROM THE THE TRIBE 'Noorzai or Nurzai and are one of the biggest tribes of the Pushtoon, with a population of roughly 4.5 million in Afghanistan. They are an influential tribe in southern and...
tribe at the time of Taliban. Gereshk is one of the old and isolated Pashto-speaking towns flanking the southern half of the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
mountains, in a countryside that is primarily Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
in speech. In this, Gereshk resembles Farah, Sabzawar/Shindand
Shindand
Shindand may refer to:*Shindand, Herat, Afghanistan**Shindand Air Base, north of the city*Shindand, Farah, Afghanistan*Shindand, Pakistan, village in FATA, Pakistan...
, Lashkar Gah, Ghazni
Ghazni
For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni ProvinceGhazni is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people...
and Gardez. The ethnicity of the inhabitants by a majority is Pashtun. A strong majority of Pashtuns, Aimaq live peacefully alongside the old native inhabitants. A majority of the inhabitants are Sunnis Muslims, although the Sunnis are increasing their presence.
Mullah Mir Hamza an ethnic Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
from Noorzai
Noorzai
SHARIEF KHAN NOORZAI IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFULL PASHTONS LEADER IN THE WHOLE AFGHANISTAN AND HE IS FROM THE THE TRIBE 'Noorzai or Nurzai and are one of the biggest tribes of the Pushtoon, with a population of roughly 4.5 million in Afghanistan. They are an influential tribe in southern and...
tribe was the District governor of Gereshk
Mullah Mahmmad Azam an ethnic Pashtun from Noorzai
Noorzai
SHARIEF KHAN NOORZAI IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFULL PASHTONS LEADER IN THE WHOLE AFGHANISTAN AND HE IS FROM THE THE TRIBE 'Noorzai or Nurzai and are one of the biggest tribes of the Pushtoon, with a population of roughly 4.5 million in Afghanistan. They are an influential tribe in southern and...
tribe was the Commander of Taliban in Gereshk
Textual sources:
Louis Dupree, Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1973;
Ludwig W. Adamec, Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed., 2003.
Cartographic sources:
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).
Operation Enduring Freedom
On December 4, 2008 two Danish soldiers were killed near Gereshk.In November, 2003, Abdul Wahed dies in Gereshk at the special forces base, after torture by the Afghan army.
In April of 2008 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, Echo Co, was sent there to help support train the Afghan Police, Worked with the Danish and British Military.http://www.marine-corps-news.com/2008/11/hardhit_27_begins_return_from_1.htm