page_title: Guzgan
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Guzgan / Geography
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: ジューズジャーン州近郊の川
context_page_description: Guzgan is the name of a historical region and early medieval principality in what is now northern Afghanistan.
context_section_description: The boundaries of Guzgan were never well defined and fluctuated wildly over time. They certainly bear no relation to the modern administrative boundaries of Jowzjan Province, named after it, or the neighbouring Faryab Province, but historically included the lands around the towns of Maymana (capital of Faryab province), Andkhuy, Shibarghan (capital of Jowzjan Province) and Sar-e Pol (capital of the namesake province). Lying on the transition zone between the Central Asian steppes and the Iranian Plateau, the region was characterized by a mixture of sedentary, urban populations in the fertile river valleys, alongside nomad tribes engaged in pastoralism, which is singled out as the region's main source of wealth by medieval geographers. Its location also meant that it was often used as a route for armies marching to and from Iran to Central Asia.
caption: Stream near Jowzjan Province
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