Islam Qala
A road in Islam Qala, Afghanistan
Islam Qala Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 34°40′00″N 61°04′00″E / 34.66667°N 61.06667°E / 34.66667; 61.06667
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Herat Province
District	Islam Qala District
Elevation	2,398 ft (731 m)
Population
• Total	16,408
Time zone	UTC+4:30

Islām Qala (Dari/Pashto: اسلام قلعه) is a border town in the western Herat province of Afghanistan, near the Afghanistan–Iran border. It is the official port of entry by land from neighboring Taybad in Iran. The Dowqarun-Islam Qala border crossing is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of the town.^[1]

Islam Qala is administered as part of Islam Qala District of Herat Province and is linked to the city of Herat via the Islam Qala-Herat Highway.^[2] The town plays an important role when it comes to the economy of Afghanistan because a substantial volume of national trade passes through it.^[3][4][5]

Islam Qala is believed to have a population of about 16,408 residents.^[6] It has gradually expanded in the last two decades due to the establishment of various facilities. Among them is a refugees repatriation center in which large number of returnees are processed everyday by the Ministry of Refugees and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).^[7][8] The town has Afghan Border Police and other national security forces.^[9]

History

Islam Qala became a border town during the Durrani Empire in the 19th century, after Afghanistan became a sovereign state. Many armies, traders and travelers have passed through the town throughout history. The Asian Highway 1 (AH1), which is part of the Asian Highway Network from Tokyo in Japan to west of Istanbul in Turkey,^[10] where it connects to the European route E80 (E80) that reaches to Lisbon, passes in Islam Qala.

On February 13, 2021, due to corruption and negligence,^[11] large number of trucks were burnt by a fire incident at a parking area in Islam Qala.^{[12][13][14][15][16]} On July 9, 2021, the entire town fell to the Taliban forces without incident. Since then the corruption in the town has been eliminated and government revenue increased to over 8 billion afghanis in less than a year.^[5]

Climate

With an influence from the local steppe climate, Islam Qala features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Islam Qala is 17.3 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 225 mm.

July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 29.5 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 5.5 °C.