Parun

For other uses, see Parun (disambiguation).

Parun (Pashto/Dari: پارون, romanized: Pārūn, Dari pronunciation: [pʰɒːˈruːn], Pashto pronunciation: [pɑˈrun]), also called Prasûn and Prasungul, is a small town and administrative center of Nuristan Province and its Parun District in Afghanistan.

Parun پارون
Town
Parun Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 35°25′0″N 70°55′01″E
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Nuristan
District	Parun
Area
• Town	4 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation	2,550 m (8,370 ft)
Population
• Town	1,000
• Urban	1,647 [1]
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time)

The city of Parun has a population of 1,647.^[1] It has 1 district and a total land area of 350 hectares.^[1] The total number of dwellings in Parun is 183.^[1]

On 15 August 2021, Parun was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the thirty-second provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.

Land use

Parun is a village in northeastern Afghanistan with only 350 hectares and 183 dwellings.^[1] It is predominantly forest land (54%) followed by agriculture (33%).^[1] Built-up land only accounts for 7% of total land use.^[1] But unlike many other cities, Parun does not have any barren land and only 4 hectares of vacant plots.^[1]

Geography

Parun has 6 villages: Ishtewi, Pronz, Dewa, Kushteki, Tsutsum and Pashki. They are located over a distance of 20 km from north to south along the Parun River. Ishtewi, the upper village, lies at an altitude of 2,850 m above sea level, while Pashki, the lowest village, lies at 2,500 m above sea level .

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, Parun has a subarctic climate (Dsc). The average temperature for the year in Parun is 1.2 °C (34.2 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 11.7 °C (53.1 °F), while the coldest month on average is January, with an average temperature of −11.1 °C (12.0 °F).

Climate data for Parun
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	−11.1 (12.0)	−9.5 (14.9)	−4.8 (23.4)	0.7 (33.3)	4.5 (40.1)	9.6 (49.3)	11.7 (53.1)	11.3 (52.3)	7.9 (46.2)	3.1 (37.6)	−2.3 (27.9)	−7 (19)	1.2 (34.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	83.0 (3.27)	113.8 (4.48)	154.0 (6.06)	147.0 (5.79)	103.3 (4.07)	33.5 (1.32)	44.5 (1.75)	44.3 (1.74)	20.7 (0.81)	35.7 (1.41)	55.1 (2.17)	82.2 (3.24)	917.1 (36.11)
Average relative humidity (%)	57.1	60.9	60.1	60.0	56.0	46.0	48.4	50.3	48.1	47.5	46.8	51.9	52.8
Source: Weatherbase[2]

Plans for a city

According to news published in 2007, the governor of Nuristan Province was planning to establish a city of about 20,000 people in Parun. This would make it "the first city in Nuristan". The report indicated that some construction had begun.^[3]

Languages

Wasi-wari is natively spoken in Parun, while Kamkata-vari, Pashto and Dari are also understood. The Gurjars of Parun also speak their native language, known as Gujari.

References

1. "The State of Afghan Cities report2015". Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
2. "Parun, Afghanistan. Weatherbase". Retrieved 5 November 2022.
3. Afghan Governor Has Big Plans for Lonely Province, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, National Public Radio, 13 November 2007, ... The 50-year-old governor says Parun — the first city in Nuristan — is only the beginning for a province where residents farm and raise goats to survive ...