Farah Province

Farah فراه
Province
ISAF forces pull security for the safety of the pilots and team of an Mil Mi-17 helicopter as it leaves the Gulistan district in 2009.
Map of Afghanistan with Farah highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 32°30′N 63°30′E / 32.5°N 63.5°E / 32.5; 63.5Coordinates: 32°30′N 63°30′E / 32.5°N 63.5°E / 32.5; 63.5
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Farah
Government
• Governor	Mohammad Asif Shah Jahan
Area
• Total	48,470.9 km2 (18,714.7 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	507,405
• Density	10/km2 (27/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
ISO 3166 code	AF-FRA
Main languages	Pashto Dari

Farah (Pashto/Persian: فراه) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the western part of the country next to Iran. It is a spacious and sparsely populated province, divided into eleven districts and contains hundreds of villages. It has a population of about 925,016, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural tribal society. The Farah Airport is located near the city of Farah, which serves as the capital of the province.

Geographically the province is approximately 48,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi), making it (comparatively) more than twice the size of Maryland, or half the size of South Korea. The province is bounded on the north by Herat, on the northeast by Ghor, the southeast by Helmand, the south by Nimroz, and on the west by Iran. It is the fourth largest province in Afghanistan. The province is home to a great many ruined castles including the "Castle of the Infidel" just south of Farah City.

Shahr-e Kohn-e ("Old City") or Fereydun Shahr ("City of Fereydoon") is located in Farah city. This ancient city is more than 3000 years old. It was one of the ancient places of the Persian kings, as Farah belonged historically to the Sistan empire. The name "Fereydun" here refers to a hero of the Persian epic Shahnameh.

The territory was known around 500 BC as Drangiana, with Arachosia being to the east and Ariana to the north. It was part of the Median Empire followed by the Achaemenids. In 330 BC Alexander the Great took possession of the land and made it part of his empire. Upon Alexander's untimely death in 323 BC the region, along with the rest of his vast empire, was fought over by his generals all vying to be his successor. Eventually several of these were successful in carving out parts of Alexander's empire for themselves thereby becoming his official successors or Diadochi. One of these generals, Seleucus, made this region part of his domain giving it his name as the Seleucid Empire. They were replaced by other rulers and the area eventually fell to the Sassanids, then to the Arab Muslims. The Saffarids rose to power in 867 AD in Zaranj and made Farah part of their empire. By the 10th century the province became part of the Ghaznavid Empire, whose capital was located in Ghazni. They were replaced by the Ghurids and then after a century later the area saw the Mongol invasion.