# Sheberghan > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sheberghan > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sheberghan.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheberghan > Source revision: 1352386632 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{pp-pc|small=yes}} {{Distinguish|text=the city of [Sheboygan](/source/Sheboygan%2C_Wisconsin) or [Cheboygan](/source/Cheboygan%2C_Michigan)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Sheberghan | native_name = {{nq|شبرغان}} | settlement_type = [Provincial capital](/source/List_of_cities_in_Afghanistan) | image_skyline = Budynek w parku - Szeberghan - 002500n.jpg | image_caption = Sheberghan palace in 1976 | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_blank_emblem = | blank_emblem_type = | blank_emblem_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Afghanistan#West Asia | pushpin_relief = yes | pushpin_label_position = above | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Afghanistan | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Afghanistan}} | subdivision_type1 = [Province](/source/Provinces_of_Afghanistan) | subdivision_name1 = [Jowzjan](/source/Jowzjan_Province) | subdivision_type2 = [District](/source/Districts_of_Afghanistan) | subdivision_name2 = [Sheberghan](/source/Sheberghan_District) | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = [Municipality](/source/Municipality) | leader_title = [Mayor](/source/Mayor) | leader_name = Habibullah Qane | established_title = | established_date = | area_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = 73 | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 335 | elevation_ft = | population_footnotes = | population_as_of = 2025 | population_total = 213411 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_sq_mi = | population_urban = 105393 | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_rural = 108018 | population_density_rural_km2 = | population_density_rural_sq_mi = | population_note = | timezone = [Afghanistan Time](/source/Afghanistan_Standard_Time) | utc_offset = +04:30 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | area_code_type = | area_code = | coordinates = {{coord|36|39|54|N|65|45|07.2|E|region:AF-JOW|display=it}} | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | geocode = | iso_code = AF-SHB | website = | footnotes = }} '''Sheberghan''',{{efn|{{bulleted list|{{langx|ps|شبرغان|Šibarğān}} {{IPA|ps|ʃi.baɾ.ɣɑn|}}|{{langx|prs|شبرغان| Šibarğān}} {{IPA|prs|ʃɪ.báɾ.ɣɑ́ːn|}}}}}} also written as '''Shibarghan''', '''Shaburghan''' or '''Shebirghan''', and historically known as '''Shahpurgan''', is a [city](/source/list_of_cities_in_Afghanistan) in northern [Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan), serving as the capital of [Jowzjan Province](/source/Jowzjan_Province).{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2025/08/14/returnee-women-find-hope-in-jawzjan-sewing-workshop/ |title=Returnee women find hope in Jawzjan sewing workshop |work=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=14 August 2025 |access-date=2025-12-27}} It is within the jurisdiction of [Sheberghan District](/source/Sheberghan_District) and has an estimated population of 213,411 people. Habibullah Qane serves as the current [mayor](/source/mayor) of the city.{{cite news |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/provincial-192282 |title=Sheberghan to Build Modern Townships Near Qosh Tepa Canal |work=TOLOnews |date=24 December 2024 |access-date=2025-12-27}} Sheberghan is home to [Jowzjan University](/source/Jowzjan_University), which is located in center of the city. The [Sheberghan Airfield](/source/Sheberghan_Airfield) is situated about {{cvt|20|km}} to the northeast between Sheberghan and [Aqcha](/source/Aqcha). The city has a number of [bazaar](/source/bazaar)s, business centers, public parks, banks, hotels, restaurants, [mosques](/source/list_of_mosques_in_Afghanistan), [hospitals](/source/list_of_hospitals_in_Afghanistan), [universities](/source/list_of_universities_in_Afghanistan), and places to play [sports](/source/sport_in_Afghanistan) or just relax. Shebgerghan is at an altitude of {{cvt|335|m}} above [sea level](/source/sea_level) and has a land area of {{cvt|73|km2}} or {{cvt|7335|ha}}. It is administratively divided into 4 city districts (nahias). In 2025 there were 19,511 [dwelling unit](/source/dwelling_unit)s in the city. The [Afghanistan Ring Road](/source/Afghanistan_Ring_Road) connects the city with [Mazar-i-Sharif](/source/Mazar-i-Sharif) to the east, [Maymana](/source/Maymana) to the southwest and [Andkhoy](/source/Andkhoy_(city)) to the northwest. ==Etymology== The city's name is a corruption of its classical [Persian](/source/Persian_language) name, Shaporgân, meaning "[King] Shapur's town". [Shapur](/source/Shapur_(name)) was the name of two [Sasanian](/source/Sasanian) kings, both of whom built a great number of cities. However, [Shapur I](/source/Shapur_I) was the governor of the eastern provinces of the empire, and it is more likely that he is the builder of a roadway between a few important cities. These include [Nishapur](/source/Nishapur) and [Bishapur](/source/Bishapur) in Iran, and [Peshawar](/source/Peshawar) in Pakistan. ==History== {{Further|History of Afghanistan}} [[File:Yemshi Tepe Tillya Tepe map.jpg|thumb|left|Circular fortress of [Yemshi Tepe](/source/Yemshi_Tepe) (to scale), and tumuli of [Tillya Tepe](/source/Tillya_Tepe), near Sheberghan.]] Sheberghan was once a flourishing settlement along the [Silk Road](/source/Silk_Road). In 1978, Soviet archaeologists discovered the famed [Bactrian Gold](/source/Bactrian_Gold) in the village of [Tillia Tepe](/source/Tillia_Tepe) outside Sheberghan. In the 13th century Marco Polo visited the city and later wrote about its honey-sweet melons. Sheberghan became the capital of an independent [Uzbek](/source/Uzbeks) [khanate](/source/khanate) that was allotted to Afghanistan by the 1873 Anglo-Russian border agreement. Sheberghan has for millennia been the focal point of power in the northeast corner of [Bactria](/source/Bactria). It still sits astride the main route between [Balkh](/source/Balkh) and [Herat](/source/Herat), and controls the direct route north to the [Amu Darya](/source/Amu_Darya), about {{cvt|90|km}} away, as well as the important branch route south to [Sar-e Pol](/source/Sar-e-Pol%2C_Afghanistan). In 1856, J. P. Ferrier reported: {{Quote|The town has a citadel, in which the governor Rustem Khan resides, but there are no other fortifications. It is surrounded by good gardens and excellent cultivation. The population of Shibberghan has a high character for bravery, and I may safely say it is one of the finest towns in Turkistan on this side of the Oxus, enjoying, besides its other advantages, an excellent climate. It is, however, subject to one very serious inconvenience: the supply of water, on which all this prosperity depends, comes from the mountains in the Khanat of Sirpool; and as there are frequent disputes between the tribes inhabiting it and those living in the town, a complete interruption of the supply is often threatened, and a war follows, to the very great injury of the place. Shibberghan maintains permanently a force of 2000 horse and 500-foot, but, in case of necessity, the town can arm 6000 men.Ferrier (1856), p. 202.}} The heavily fortified town of [Yemshi-tepe](/source/Yemshi-tepe), just five kilometres to the northeast of modern Sheberghan, on the road to [Akcha](/source/Akcha), is only about {{cvt|500|m|yd|abbr=off}} from the famous necropolis of [Tillia Tepe](/source/Tillya_Tepe), where an immense treasure was excavated from the graves of the local royal family by a joint Soviet-Afghan archaeological effort from 1969 to 1979. In 1977, a Soviet-Afghan [archaeological](/source/archaeological) team began excavations {{cvt|5|km}} north of the town for relics. They uncovered mud-brick columns and a cross-shaped altar of an ancient temple dating back to at least 1000 B.C. Six royal tombs were excavated at Tillia Tepe revealing a vast amount of gold and other treasures. Several coins dated to the early 1st century C.E., with none dated later. Sheberghan has been proposed as the site of ancient Xidun, one of the five ''xihou'', or divisions, of the early [Kushan Empire](/source/Kushan_Empire).Hill (2009), pp. 29, 332-341. Sheberghan was the stronghold of [Abdul Rashid Dostum](/source/Abdul_Rashid_Dostum) while vying with his rival [Atta Muhammad Nur](/source/Atta_Muhammad_Nur) for control of northern Afghanistan in the early years of the [Karzai administration](/source/Karzai_administration). Sheberghan was the site of the [Dasht-i-Leili massacre](/source/Dasht-i-Leili_massacre) in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in which between 250 and 3,000 (depending on sources) [Taliban](/source/Taliban) prisoners were shot or suffocated to death in metal truck containers, while being transferred by [American](/source/United_States) and [Northern Alliance](/source/Northern_Alliance) soldiers from [Kunduz](/source/Kunduz) to a [Sheberghan Prison](/source/Sheberghan_Prison).{{cite web |title=Assessments and Documentation in Afghanistan {{!}} Assessments in Afghanistan: Dasht-e-Leili |url=https://phr.org/issues/investigating-deaths-and-mass-atrocities/assessments-and-documentation-of-mass-crimes/assessments-in-afghanistan/assessments-in-afghanistan-dasht-e-leili-photos/ |website=Physicians for Human Rights |publisher=Physicians for Human Rights |access-date=8 August 2021 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326212054/https://phr.org/issues/investigating-deaths-and-mass-atrocities/assessments-and-documentation-of-mass-crimes/assessments-in-afghanistan/assessments-in-afghanistan-dasht-e-leili-photos/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Opinion - EDITORIAL - The Truth About Dasht-i-Leili |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/opinion/14tue2.html |work=New York Times |date=July 13, 2009 |archive-date=20 January 2017 |access-date=8 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120185716/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/opinion/14tue2.html |url-status=live }} On 7 August 2021, Taliban forces captured Sheberghan as part of their [nationwide military offensive](/source/2021_Taliban_offensive).{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2021/08/07/after-nimroz-jawzjan-also-falls-to-talibans-control/ |title=Dostum's stronghold Jawzjan falls to Taliban |publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=7 August 2021 |access-date=2026-01-09}}{{cite news |url=https://www.ariananews.af/taliban-flashpoints-across-afghanistan/ |title=Taliban flashpoints across Afghanistan |publisher=Ariana News |date=August 12, 2021 |access-date=2026-01-09}}{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/7/taliban-advance-on-second-afghan-provincial-capital-in-24-hours |title=Sheberghan: Taliban captures second Afghan provincial capital |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=7 August 2021 |access-date=2021-08-07}} ==Geography== {{Further|Geography of Afghanistan}} Sheberghan is located along the [Sari Pul River](/source/Sari_Pul_River) banks, about {{cvt|130|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of [Mazar-i-Sharif](/source/Mazar-i-Sharif) on the [Afghanistan Ring Road](/source/Afghanistan_Ring_Road). The city is a trading and transit hub in northern Afghanistan. Agriculture accounts for 50% of the 7,335 hectares within the municipal boundaries. About 23% of the land is residential,{{cite web |url=https://unhabitat.org/soac2015 |title=State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-I English) |pages=8, 132 |publisher=UN-Habitat |access-date=2015-10-31}} and largely clustered in the central area, but well distributed through the four districts.{{cite web |url=https://unhabitat.org/soac2015_volume2 |title=The State of Afghan Cities Report 2015 |page=118 |publisher=UN-Habitat |access-date=20 October 2015 |ref=UN-Habitat}} ===Climate=== Sheberghan has a [cool, semi-arid climate](/source/semi-arid_climate) ([Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) ''BSk''){{cite web|title=Climate: شبرغان - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/31381/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=3 September 2013|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604060649/http://en.climate-data.org/location/31381/|url-status=live}} with hot summers and chilly, though variable, winters. There is moderate rainfall and some snowfall from January to March, but the rest of the year is dry, especially the summer. {{Weather box |width = auto |location = Sheberghan |metric first = Y |single line = Y |Jan record high C = 22.4 |Feb record high C = 24.2 |Mar record high C = 30.9 |Apr record high C = 35.4 |May record high C = 41.5 |Jun record high C = 46.0 |Jul record high C = 47.5 |Aug record high C = 44.3 |Sep record high C = 40.6 |Oct record high C = 36.4 |Nov record high C = 30.6 |Dec record high C = 25.6 |Jan high C = 6.8 |Feb high C = 9.3 |Mar high C = 15.8 |Apr high C = 23.7 |May high C = 31.1 |Jun high C = 36.9 |Jul high C = 38.9 |Aug high C = 37.2 |Sep high C = 32.0 |Oct high C = 24.0 |Nov high C = 16.7 |Dec high C = 10.6 |Jan mean C = 2.0 |Feb mean C = 4.9 |Mar mean C = 10.5 |Apr mean C = 17.3 |May mean C = 23.2 |Jun mean C = 28.8 |Jul mean C = 31.0 |Aug mean C = 28.6 |Sep mean C = 23.1 |Oct mean C = 16.4 |Nov mean C = 10.0 |Dec mean C = 5.4 |Jan low C = −1.3 |Feb low C = 1.3 |Mar low C = 5.7 |Apr low C = 11.5 |May low C = 15.1 |Jun low C = 19.4 |Jul low C = 22.2 |Aug low C = 20.0 |Sep low C = 15.1 |Oct low C = 9.8 |Nov low C = 4.6 |Dec low C = 1.5 |Jan record low C = −20.5 |Feb record low C = −25.7 |Mar record low C = −9.4 |Apr record low C = −7.5 |May record low C = 5.3 |Jun record low C = 8.5 |Jul record low C = 12.9 |Aug record low C = 11.6 |Sep record low C = 4.3 |Oct record low C = −2.4 |Nov record low C = −8.5 |Dec record low C = -15.0 |Jan precipitation mm = 42.3 |Feb precipitation mm = 44.3 |Mar precipitation mm = 56.4 |Apr precipitation mm = 25.9 |May precipitation mm = 11.2 |Jun precipitation mm = 0.2 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 0.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 0.2 |Oct precipitation mm = 6.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 13.6 |Dec precipitation mm = 29.8 |Jan sun = 115.3 |Feb sun = 124.1 |Mar sun = 162.3 |Apr sun = 198.2 |May sun = 297.9 |Jun sun = 364.3 |Jul sun = 365.9 |Aug sun = 346.1 |Sep sun = 304.6 |Oct sun = 242.9 |Nov sun = 175.8 |Dec sun = 125.7 |Jan rain days = 5 |Feb rain days = 6 |Mar rain days = 9 |Apr rain days = 6 |May rain days = 3 |Jun rain days = 0 |Jul rain days = 0 |Aug rain days = 0 |Sep rain days = 0 |Oct rain days = 2 |Nov rain days = 3 |Dec rain days = 4 |Jan snow days = 5 |Feb snow days = 3 |Mar snow days = 1 |Apr snow days = 0 |May snow days = 0 |Jun snow days = 0 |Jul snow days = 0 |Aug snow days = 0 |Sep snow days = 0 |Oct snow days = 0 |Nov snow days = 1 |Dec snow days = 2 |Jan humidity = 78 |Feb humidity = 76 |Mar humidity = 71 |Apr humidity = 65 |May humidity = 47 |Jun humidity = 34 |Jul humidity = 31 |Aug humidity = 32 |Sep humidity = 35 |Oct humidity = 46 |Nov humidity = 61 |Dec humidity = 74 |source 1 = NOAA (1964-1983){{cite web |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-II/AH/40908.TXT |title = Sheberghan Climate Normals 1964-1983 |publisher = [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](/source/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration) |access-date = December 25, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20121225094442/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/AH/40908.TXT |archive-date = December 25, 2012 }} }} ==Demographics== {{Further|Demographics of Afghanistan}} Sheberghan has an estimated population of 213,411 people.{{cite web |url=https://nsia.gov.af:8443/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%86%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-1404.pdf#page=120 |title=Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2025-26 |page=97 |work=National Statistics and Information Authority |date=September 2025 |access-date=2025-12-27}} Ethnically, they are mostly [Turkmens](/source/Turkmens) and [Uzbeks](/source/Uzbeks).{{cite news |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/sheberghan-afghan-women/25094428.html |title=A Day In The Park For Sheberghan Women |publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=September 3, 2013 |access-date=2026-01-09}} Other ethnic groups such as [Tajiks](/source/Tajiks), [Pashtuns](/source/Pashtuns), [Hazaras](/source/Hazaras) and [Arabs](/source/History_of_Arabs_in_Afghanistan) can also be found residing in the city. [Dari](/source/Dari) and [Pashto](/source/Pashto) are the official languages of Afghanistan, while [Turkmeni](/source/Turkmen_language) is the [first language](/source/first_language) of a large percent of Sheberghan's natives. In 1856, [J. P. Ferrier](/source/J._P._Ferrier) wrote: "Sheberghān is a town containing 12,000 souls. [Uzbeks](/source/Uzbeks) being in the great majority." The [Arabs of Sheberghan](/source/History_of_Arabs_in_Afghanistan) are mostly [Dari](/source/Dari)-speaking, even though they claim to be of Arab descent, due to religious or historical reasons. There are other such Dari and [Pashto](/source/Pashto)-speaking Arabs to the east, with many residing in [Mazar-i Sharif](/source/Mazar-i_Sharif), [Kholm](/source/Kholm%2C_Afghanistan), [Kunduz](/source/Kunduz), [Kabul](/source/Kabul), and [Jalalabad](/source/Jalalabad). Their self-identification as Arabs is largely based on their tribal identity, and may in fact point to the Arab migration of the 7th and 8th centuries migration to this and other Central Asian locales in the wake of the [Muslim conquests of Afghanistan](/source/Muslim_conquests_of_Afghanistan), as it is traditionally analyzed through their historical lineage.Barfield (1982), p. ? It was common in the past for Arabs to live in the region.{{cite book |last=Beveridge |first=Annette Susannah |author-link=Annette Beveridge |date=7 January 2014 |title=The Bābur-nāma in English, Memoirs of Bābur |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44608/44608-h/44608-h.htm#Page_202 |publisher=Project Gutenberg |page=202}} ==Economy== {{Further|Economy of Afghanistan}} Sheberghan is surrounded by irrigated agricultural land, which supplies fruits and vegetables to other cities. It is also important to the energy infrastructure of Afghanistan. With Soviet assistance, exploitation of Afghanistan's natural gas reserves began in 1967 at the Khowaja Gogerak field, {{cvt|15|km}} east of Sheberghan in [Jowzjan Province](/source/Jowzjan_Province). The field's reserves were thought to be 67 billion cubic meters. In 1967, the Soviets also completed a 100-kilometer gas pipeline linking [Keleft](/source/Keleft) in the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) with Sheberghan. To demonstrate how natural gas reserves could be used as an alternative to expensive petroleum imports, the [United States Department of Defense](/source/United_States_Department_of_Defense) spent $43 million on a natural gas filling station.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34703279 |title=Afghan fuel station cost $43m, US military report says |publisher=BBC News |access-date=3 November 2015}} * The [Zomrad Sai Oilfield](/source/Zomrad_Sai_Oilfield) is situated near Sheberghan. * The [Sheberghan Topping Plant](/source/Sheberghan_Topping_Plant) processes crude oil for consumption in heating boilers in [Kabul](/source/Kabul), [Mazari Sharif](/source/Mazari_Sharif), and Sheberghan. * The Jorqaduk, Khowaja Gogerak, and Yatimtaq gas fields are all located within {{cvt|20|mi|km}} of Sheberghan. == See also == * [List of cities in Afghanistan](/source/List_of_cities_in_Afghanistan) == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{Reflist|2}} == Bibliography == * Barfield, Thomas J. (1982). ''The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan: Pastoral Nomadism in Transition''. * Dupree, Nancy Hatch. (1977). ''An Historical Guide to Afghanistan''. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition (1977). Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization, 1977. Chapter 21 "Maimana to Mazar-i-Sharif." * Ferrier, J. P. (1856), ''Caravan Journeys and Wanderings in Persia, Afghanistan, Turkistan and Beloochistan''. John Murray, London. * Hill, John E. (2009). ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. {{ISBN|978-1-4392-2134-1}}. * Leriche, Pierre. (2007). "Bactria: Land of a Thousand Cities." In: After Alexander: Central Asia before Islam. Eds. Georgina Hermann and Joe Cribb. (2007). Proceedings of the British Academy 133. Oxford University Press. * Sarianidi, Victor. (1985). ''The Golden Hoard of Bactria: From the Tillya-tepe Excavations in Northern Afghanistan''. Harry N. Abrams, New York. ==External links== * {{YouTube|NZ5KQ_MFbX4| نمای از شهر زیبا و باستانی شبرغان ولایت جوزجان / Shaberghan, Jawzjan province }} * {{YouTube|zQmMtlXOG9w| زیباترین تصاویر از ولایت جوزجان شهر شبرغان با کیفیت - Most beautiful pictures of Sheberghan province }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20051027133028/http://www.aims.org.af/maps/urban/shibirghan.pdf Map of Sheberghān] {{AfghanistanLargestCities}} {{Jowzjan Province}} {{Districts of Jowzjan}} {{Authority control}} Category:Jowzjan Province Category:Populated places along the Silk Road Category:Cities in Afghanistan Category:Provincial capitals in Afghanistan Category:Populated places with period of establishment missing --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sheberghan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheberghan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheberghan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.