Sar-e-Pol, Afghanistan

Sar-e-Pol
سر پل
Anbar
Provincial capital
Sar-e-Pol is located in Afghanistan
Sar-e-Pol
Sar-e-Pol
Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 36°13′17″N 65°55′40″E / 36.22139°N 65.92778°E / 36.22139; 65.92778
CountryAfghanistan
ProvinceSar-e Pol
DistrictSar-e Pol
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • MayorQari Abdul Vakil Moaz
Area
 • Land30 km2 (12 sq mi)
Elevation
657 m (2,156 ft)
Population
 (2025)
134,809
 • Density4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
39,668
 • Rural
66,932
Time zoneUTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time)
ISO 3166 codeAF-SRP

Sar-e-Pol (Pashto, Dari: سر پل; lit. 'bridge head'), also written as Sar-i-Pul, and historically known as Anbar (Pashto, Dari: انبر), is a city in northern Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Sar-e-Pol Province. The city is within the jurisdiction of Sar-e-Pol District and has an estimated population of 134,809 people (2025). Qari Abdul Vakil Moaz serves as the mayor of the city.

Sar-e-Pol sits at an elevation of about 2,155 ft (657 m) above sea level. It is connected by a road network with Sheberghan to the north, Tukzar to the southeast, and Maimana to the southwest. Its distance from Kabul is about 349 km (217 mi). Security is provided by the Afghan National Police.

Sar-e-Pol is home to the historic Imam Yahya Shrine, which is located in the eastern part of the city. There are also a number of bazaars, business centers, public parks, stadiums, banks, hotels, restaurants, mosques, hospitals, universities, and places to relax.

Demographics

Sar-e-Pol has an estimated population of 134,809 people. In 2015, the city of Sar-e Pol had an estimated population of 115,000 people. There were 5,675 total number of dwellings in a total land area of 2,990 hectares.

A 1983 estimate put the population of the jurisdiction of Sar-e-Pol at around 150,000 people, consisting of approximately 40% Uzbeks, 25% Pashtuns (10% Durrani, 5% eastern Pashtuns and 10% non-Durrani Pashtuns), 20% Aimaqs and Tajiks, 10% Hazaras, 5% Arabs, and a small number of Turkmens.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Pashto pronunciation: [sa'ri.pul]
  2. ↑ Dari pronunciation: [sä.ɾɪ.pʰʊl]
  3. ↑ Pashto pronunciation: [ʔan.bar]
  4. ↑ Dari pronunciation: [ʔäm.bǽɾ]
  5. ↑ It is unclear whether jurisdiction in this context refers to the city itself or to the Sar-e-Pol woleswali (sub-governorate).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2025-26" (PDF). National Statistics and Information Authority. September 2025. p. 79. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "12 years on, Sar-i-Pul City residents yet to get their plots". Pajhwok Afghan News. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "57 million revenues of Sar-e-pul province municipality in the past year". Afghan Voice Agency. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Saul Bernard; Cohen, Saul (2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G. ISBN 9780231145541.
  5. ↑ "Sar-e Pul Distances Afghanistan". www.distancecalculator.net. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Cultural Figures Urge Completion of Imam Yahya Shrine Restoration". TOLOnews. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-I English)". UN-Habitat. p. 12. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-II)". UN-Habitat. p. 114. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Tapper, Nancy (February 1983). "Acculturation in Afghan Turkistan: Pashtun and Uzbek women". Asian Affairs. 14 (1): 35–44. doi:10.1080/03068378308730096. ISSN 0306-8374.