The Tarnak River is located in Ghazni, Zabul, and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. The city of Kandahar is located on a plain directly adjacent to the Tarnak. [1]
It rises in Afghanistan's highlands region of Hazarajat, near 33°7′N67°56′E / 33.117°N 67.933°E , south of the Lomar Pass. The Tarnak flows in a south-westerly direction for around 350 km before joining the Dori River some 30 km downstream of the Dori-Arghastan confluence, and some 30 km upstream of the Dori-Arghandab confluence, at 31°24′N65°33′E / 31.400°N 65.550°E . [2] The combined waters of these rivers join the Helmand at 31°27′N64°23′E / 31.450°N 64.383°E , near Lashkargah. [3]
The Tarnak River valley is a tectonic trough that runs from northeast to southwest. It has multilayered aquifers and both Quaternary and Neocene deposits. [4]
The Helmand is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primary watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin. It originates in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush mountains in the northeastern part of Maidan Wardak Province, where it is separated from the watershed of the Kabul River by the Unai Pass. The Helmand feeds into the Hamun Lake on the border of Afghanistan and Iran.
The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān or Da Kasē Ghrūna, are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They rise to form the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau. They are located in the Kandahar, Zabul and Paktia provinces of Afghanistan, and in Pakistan they extend over the northern part of Balochistan and Waziristan as well as Kurram of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In southwestern Punjab, the mountains extend into the two districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, which are located west of the Indus River on the boundary with Balochistan. Bordering the mountains to the east are the plains of the Indus River valley, and to the north are the arid highlands of the Central Hindu Kush whose heights extend up to 3,383 metres (11,099 ft). The total area on which this range spans around 6475 sq. km. Together with the Kirthar Mountains on the border between Balochistan and Sindh, the Sulaiman Mountains form what is known as the Sulaiman-Kirthar geologic province.
Kandahār is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzgan in the north and Zabul Province in the east. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, which is located on the Arghandab River. The greater region surrounding the province is called Loy Kandahar. The Emir of Afghanistan sends orders to Kabul from Kandahar making it the de facto capital of Afghanistan, although the main government body operates in Kabul. All meetings with the Emir take place in Kandahar, meetings excluding the Emir are in Kabul.
Lillie Glacier is a large glacier in Antarctica, about 100 nautical miles long and 10 nautical miles wide. It lies between the Bowers Mountains on the west and the Concord Mountains and Anare Mountains on the east, flowing to Ob' Bay on the coast and forming the Lillie Glacier Tongue.
Zamindawar is a historical region of Afghanistan. It is a very large and fertile valley the main sources for irrigation is the Helmand River. Zamindawar is located in the greater territory of northern Helmand and encompasses the approximate area of modern-day Baghran, Musa Qala, Naw Zad, Kajaki and Sangin districts. It was a district of hills, and of wide, well populated, and fertile valleys watered by important tributaries of the Helmand. The principal town was Musa Qala, which stands on the banks of a river of the same name, about 60 km north of the city of Grishk.
Lashkargāh, historically called Bost or Boost, is a city in southwestern Afghanistan and the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkargah District, where the Arghandab River merges into the Helmand River. The city has a population of 201,546 as of 2006. Lashkargah is linked by major roads with Kandahar to the east, Zaranj on the border with Iran to the west, and Farah and Herat to the north-west. It is mostly very arid and desolate. However, farming does exist around the Helmand and Arghandab rivers. Bost Airport is located on the east bank of the Helmand River, five miles north of the junction of the Helmand and Arghandab rivers. Because of the trading hubs, it is Afghanistan's second largest city in size, after Kabul and before Kandahar.
The Arghandab is a river in Afghanistan, about 400 km (250 mi) in length. It rises in Ghazni Province, west of the city of Ghazni, and flows southwest, passing near the city of Kandahar, before joining the Helmand River 30 km (19 mi) below the town of Grishk. In its lower course, it is much used for irrigation, under the control of the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority, and the valley is cultivated and populous; yet the water is said to be somewhat brackish. It is doubtful whether the ancient Arachotus is to be identified with the Arghandab or with its chief confluent the Tarnak, which joins it on the left 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Kandahar. The Tarnak, which flows south of Kandahar, is much shorter and less copious.
Panjwayi is a district in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Kandahar. The district borders Helmand Province to the southwest, Maywand District to the west, Zhari District to the north, Arghandab, Kandahar and Daman districts to the east and Reg District to the south. Panjwayi was reduced in size in 2004 when Zhari District was created out of the northern part of it, on the northern side of the Arghandab River, which now forms the northern boundary.
Daman District is situated in the central part of the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Panjwai and Kandahar districts to the west, Shah Wali Kot District to the north, Zabul Province to the northeast, Arghistan and Spin Boldak districts to the east and Reg District to the south. The population is 30,700 (2006). The center is the village of Daman, located in the central part of the district. The area is irrigated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority.
Tarnak Farms was an Afghan training camp near Kandahar, which served as a base to Osama bin Laden and his followers from 1998 to 2001. It was also the site of the Tarnak Farm incident
Maiwand is a village in Afghanistan within the Maywand District of Kandahar Province. It is located 50 miles northwest of Kandahar, on the main Kandahar–Lashkargah road.
Grishk, also spelled Gereshk, is the new name of Zamindawar which is named after the invasion the region by Nader Afshar army and given to Ghilji tribe in 18th century. Grishk a town in Grishk District of Helmand province, geographically located along the Helmand River in Afghanistan, some 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Kandahar, at 817 metres (2,680 ft) altitude. Upstream lies the Kajaki Dam which diverts water to the Boghra Irrigation Canal, an essential infrastructure for the region's crops. Grishk Dam is also nearby. Grishk was originally built around a fort on the east bank of the river but was later rebuilt on the west. The fort was twice captured by the British: first in the First Anglo-Afghan War and again in 1879. In both cases the fort was later abandoned. Grishk has a population of about 48,546 and has a hospital and a school of engineering which was built back in 1957.
The Kajaki Dam is "an earth and rockfill embankment type dam" located on the Helmand River in the Kajaki District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, about 161 km (100 mi) northwest of Kandahar. It has a hydroelectric power station, which is operated by the Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority through the Ministry of Energy and Water.
The Baba Mountain range is the western extension of the Hindu Kush, and the origin of Afghanistan's Kabul, Arghandab, Helmand, Farah, Hari, Murghab, Balkh, and Kunduz rivers. The mountain range is crowned by Foladi peak rising 5048 m above sea level, and is located south of Bamyan.
The Arghistan or Arghastan is a river in southern Afghanistan. It flows through Arghistan District and the provinces of Zabul and Kandahar. It is a tributary of the Dori River, a sub-tributary of the Helmand River. It flows for 280 kilometres (170 mi) and has a basin area of 20,219 square kilometres (7,807 sq mi).
Bum is the name of several locations in Afghanistan.
The Dahla Dam, also known as Arghandab Dam and Kasa, is located in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, approximately 40 km (25 mi) northeast of the provincial capital Kandahar. Its name derives from Dahla, which is the historical name of the area where the dam was built. It is the second largest dam in Afghanistan after the Kajaki Dam in neighboring Helmand Province. In 2019, the Afghan government planned to spend $450 million in upgrading the dam. The project includes raising the dam's walls by around 13 meters so the reservoir could hold nearly a billion cubic meters of fresh water and installing three turbines to produce 22 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
The Dori, also called the Lora and Kadanai, is a river of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It runs for 320 kilometres (200 mi) from Balochistan province in Pakistan through Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, then flows into the Arghandab River.