Farah
[key], town, 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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