Mihtarlam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mihtarlam مهترلام Mehtar Lam
City
Clockwise from top: An alley in Mihtarlam; a highway checkpoint; Mihtarlam RTC
Mihtarlam Location in Afghanistan
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Laghman Province
District	Mihtarlam District
Named for	Lamech
Elevation	779 m (2,556 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	144,162
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time)

Mihtarlam (Persian: مهترلام, Pashto: مهترلام), also spelled Mehtar Lam, is the sixteenth-largest city of Afghanistan. It is the capital of Laghman Province and center of Mihtarlam District. It is the only large urban settlement in the province. The town is situated in the valley formed by the Alishang and Alingar rivers, 47 km northwest of the city of Jalalabad. There is a paved road between the cities that takes approximately one hour to travel by car.

On 13 August 2021, Mihtarlam was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twenty-third provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.

Etymology

According to local legend, the surrounding Laghman Province (also known as Lamghan) is said to have been named after Lamech, father of Noah.

In the Persian language, mihtar means "headman", "lord" or "chief", and "Lam" is an abbreviation for Lamech.

History

Amir Habibullah Khan built Qala-e-Seraj c. 1912–13 in Mihtarlam.

Local officials spent 22 million Afs to rebuild Qala-e-Seraj in 2020.

On 24 May 2021, Afghan government forces clashed with Taliban militants in Mihtarlam.

Climate

Mihtarlam has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).

Places of interest

• Qala-e-Seraj
• Hajji Dunya Gul Niazi Jamia Masjid
• Laghman University
• The Tomb of Lamech is located in the area. Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni built the shrine, amid gardens, over the site of his presumed grave, 50 kilometres from Mihtarlam.

Sports

In 2021, the first stadium in Laghman opened in Mihtarlam.