Kulob Oblast

Kulob Oblast (also Kulyab Oblast from Russian spelling) was an administrative subdivision in Tajikistan during the Soviet period (Tajik SSR). In 1992 it was merged with the Qurghonteppa Oblast to create Khatlon Province. The city of Kulob (Kulyab) was the capital of the oblast. The inhabitants of Kulob Oblast were referred to as Kulobis. Kulob oblast was an center for fighting in the first year of the civil war in Tajikistan. Many important figures in the government of Tajikistan originated from Kulob Oblast, including current president Emomalii Rahmon.

Kulob

Kulob (Tajik: Кӯлоб (also Kulab or Kulyab (Russian: Куляб), is a city in Kulob district, Khatlon Province, Tajikistan. Located 203 km south-east of the capital Dushanbe on the Yakhsu River (a right tributary of Panj), it is one of the largest cities in the country and has an estimated population of 100,000.

History

The historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari refers to the city as early as 737AD, although its founding is said to have been much earlier. Throughout its history, Kulob was known by the name Khatlān or Khatlon in modern Tajik, with its modern name only about 250 years old.

Part of the Khanate of Bukhara since the 16th century (the Emirate of Bukhara since the 18th century), the city changed its name from Khatlon to Kulob in 1750. In 1921 Soviet rule was established.

In September 2006 Kulob celebrated its 2700th anniversary.

Geography

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification sub-type for Kulob is "Csa" or a Mediterran Climate. The average annual temperature is 15.8 °C (60.4 °F). The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 28.3 °C (82.9 °F) and the coolest month is January with an average temperature of 2.2 °C (36 °F). The average annual precipitation is 468.4 mm (18.4") and has an average of 72.8 days with precipitation. The wettest month is March with an average of 94.2 mm (3.7") of precipitation and the driest month is August with an average of 0 mm of precipitation.