Zabul Province

"Zabul" redirects here. For the city in Iran, see Zabol.

Not to be confused with Kabul Province.

Zabul Province زابل
Province
Landscape of Zabul Province Spīn Ghar Mountains Children attending a jirga Poppy growth in Zabul Shahjoy landscape Qalat Valley Young villager watches coalition troops pass in Shamulzayi Almond trees in Zabul
Map of Afghanistan with Zabul highlighted
Coordinates: 32°06′N67°06′E / 32.1°N 67.1°E / 32.1; 67.1
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Qalat
Government
•  Governor	Mullah Bismillah Abdullah [1]
• Deputy Governor	Abdul Khaliq Abid [1]
Area [2] [3]
• Total	17,471 km2 (6,746 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [4]
• Total	391,150
• Density	22.389/km2 (57.986/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Postal code	40xx
ISO 3166 code	AF-ZAB
Main languages	Pashto

Zabul Province ^[a] is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. ^[4] Zabul became a separate province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zabulistan region. Qalat serves as the capital of the province. The major ethnic group are Pashtuns. Primary occupations within Zabul are agriculture and animal husbandry.

According to Iranic legend, Zabul is the birthplace of the hero Rostam. ^[5]

Geography

Further information: Geography of Afghanistan

A bull walks at the foot of a mountain near Mizan in the southeast of Zabul Province.

Zabul borders Uruzgan in the north, Kandahar in the west and in the south, Ghazni and Paktika in the east. It borders Pakistan in the east.

The province covers an area of 17293 km2. Two-fifths of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain (41%) while more than one quarter of the area is made up of flat land (28%).

The primary ecoregion of the province is the central Afghan mountains xeric woodlands. Common vegetation is listed as dry shrub-land and pistachio. The high mountains of the northern portion of the province are in the Ghor-Hazarajat alpine meadow ecoregion, which is characterized by meadows, willows, and sea buckthorn. ^[6]

Administrative divisions

Districts of Zabul province

Districts of Zabul Province

District	Capital	Population (2021) [4]	Area	Pop. density	Notes
Arghandab		36,934	1,490	25	100% Pashtun. [7] Sub-divided in 2005
Atghar		14,059	458	31	100% Pashtun. [8]
Daychopan		44,508	1,491	30	100% Pashtun. [9]
Kakar		27,234	981	28	99% Pashtun, 1% Hazara. [10] Created in 2005 within Arghandab District Also known as Khak-e-Afghan Province.
Mezana		21,623	1,079	20	100% Pashtun. [11]
Naw Bahar		24,534	1,137	22	100% Pashtun. [12] Created in 2005 from parts of Shamulzayi and Shinkay Districts
Qalat	Qalat	44,928	1,914	23	95% Pashtun, 5% Tajik. [13]
Shah Joy		79,889	1,878	43	100% Pashtun. [14]
Shamulzayi		36,515	3,295	11	100% Pashtun. [15]
Shinkay		31,911	1,861	17	100% Pashtun. [16]
Tarnak Aw Jaldak		22,214	1,434	15	100% Pashtun. [17]
Zabul		384,349	17,472	22	99.4% Pashtuns, 0.6% Tajiks, <0.1% Hazaras. [note 1]

1. Note: "Predominantely" or "dominated" is interpreted as 99%, "majority" as 70%, "mixed" as 1/(number of ethnicities), "minority" as 30% and "few" or "some" as 1%.

Economy

Further information: Transport in Afghanistan

In 2006, the province's first airstrip was opened near Qalat, to be operated by the Afghan National Army, but also for use by commercial aviation. Twice weekly service was scheduled by PRT Air between Qalat and Kabul. The airstrip is not paved. ^[18] The ANA Chief in Zabul is Major General Jamaluddin Sayed ^[19]

Zabul Province is bisected by Highway 1 and travelers going between Kandahar and Kabul via road typically pass through the province. ^[20]

On 4 September 2016, at least 38 people were killed and 28 were injured during the September 2016 Afghanistan road crash.

Demographics

Further information: Demography of Afghanistan

Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan

Population

As of 2021, the total population of the province is about 391,150, ^[4] which is mostly a rural tribal society. 60.8% of the population lived below the national poverty line, one of the highest figures of all of Afghanistan's provinces. ^[21]

Ethnicity, languages and religion

According to the Naval Postgraduate School, the population is primarily Pashtuns, sprinkled throughout around 2,500 remote villages. Major tribal groups include the Tokhi, Hotak, Nasar, Kharoti, Taraki, Ghilji and the Noorzai and Panjpai Durrani.

Pashto is the dominant language in the area. The people of Zabul are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. Primary occupations within Zabul are agriculture and animal husbandry. ^[22]

Zabul is by many indications one of Afghanistan's most religious conservative provinces. ^[23]

Education

Further information: Education in Afghanistan

Bibi Khala School in Qalat

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 1% in 2005 to 19% in 2011.^{[ citation needed ]} The overall net enrollment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 31.3% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.^{[ citation needed ]}

Health

Further information: Health in Afghanistan

An Afghan National Police officer, right, stands watch over food before distributing it to families Feb. 5, 2012, in Pinzo village, Zabul province, Afghanistan. The food distribution was intended to supplement the villagers winter food reserves from the fall harvest.

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 0% in 2005 to 32% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 1% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.

Culture

Zabuli elders eating traditional Afghan food on a dastarkhan

Sports

Further information: Sport in Afghanistan

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket by the Zabul Province cricket team.

Gallery

• 
  Children in Arghandab
• 
  Near a bridge on the Kabul–Kandahar Highway

Notable people

• Alauddin Khalji
• Mullah Omar
• Mullah Yaqoob Akhund
• Rustam-I-Pahlavan
• Jalauddin Khilji
• Sohrab
• Sām
• Zal
• Tegin Shah

See also

• Provinces of Afghanistan
• Zabulistan
• Zabol
• Abu Ali Lawik

Notes

1. Pashto: Pashto pronunciation: [zɑˈbəl] : زابل
   Dari: Dari pronunciation: [zɑː.bʊ́l] : زابل

References

1. "د نږدې شلو ولایاتو لپاره نوي والیان او امنیې قوماندانان وټاکل شول". 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021.
2. Provinces of Afghanistan on Statoids.
3. "Afghanistan's Provinces – Zabul at USAID". USAID . Archived from the original on July 27, 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
4. "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22" (PDF). National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA). April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
5. Compareti, Matteo. "Heroes Fighting Snake Demons: Problems of Identification in Panjikent Paintings". The Silk Road. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
6. World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
7. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Arghandab" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
8. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Atghar" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
9. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Daychopan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
10. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Kakar" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
11. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Mezana" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
12. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Naw Bahar" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
13. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Qalat" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
14. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Shah Joy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
15. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Shamulzayi" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
16. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Shinkay" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
17. "UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar - DISTRICT PROFILE Tarnak Aw Jaldak" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
18. First Airstrip in Zabul Province, USAID
19. Online, Asia Time. "Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan". www.atimes.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
20. "The Back of Beyond: A Report from Zabul Province". worldaffairsjournal.org. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
21. Giustozzi, Antonio (August 2012). Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field. Hurst. ISBN   9781849042260.
22. "Zabul Province". Program for Culture & Conflict Studies. Naval Postgraduate School . Retrieved 2013-06-16.
23. "Conservative of Zabul Province" (PDF). reliefweb.int. Retrieved 17 Dec 2022.