Farah

Farah (färä`), town (1985 est. pop. 21,000), capital of Farah prov., W Afghanistan, on the Farah River. Surrounded by a solid earth rampart, it is strategically located at the river crossing that controls the road from Herat to the Seistan region and the Indian subcontinent. The town also lies on the Herat-Kandahar trade route and is a market for the products of the surrounding agricultural region. Farah is inhabited mostly by Tajiks. Generally identified with ancient Phrada, it flourished until Mongols destroyed it in 1221. It revived but suffered renewed devastation by the Persian ruler Nadir Shah in 1737. Farah was the scene of fierce fighting during the early days of the Afghanistan War.

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Farah 

(also Farah Rud), a river in the eastern part of the Iranian Plateau, in Afghanistan. The Farah is 580 km long and drains an area of about 33,000 sq km. It rises in the southern spurs of the Band-i Baian Range. The upper and middle courses flow through the Hazarajat Mountains, and the lower course reaches the desert plain of Seistan. The river empties into the Hamun system of lakes, which have no outlets. There is high water in the spring and flash floods in the autumn; the lower reaches dry up in the summer. The Farah is used for irrigation. The city of Farah, the administrative center of the oasis of the same name, is situated on the river.