Qumi Governorate

Qumi Governorate (Arabic: Muḥāfaẓah al-Qumi) is a governorate of Gandhara, located in the western part of the country. In 2016, the governorate had a population of 103,724 and a total area of . Tabatabaei serves as its capital. The governorate is largely mountainous and contains Outernatia's highest point, Mount Taysir, at .
==History==
The area that is now known as the Qumi Governorate has been inhabited for thousands of years. It is known that the Qumi people were inhabiting the mountainous region north of Rhea already in the 9th century, as the Arab traveler Al-Masudi speaks of them.
The territory was under the rule of the Mongol Empire between 1246 and 1295, after which it became independent as the Qumi Khanate. From 1557, it became a protectorate of the expanding Gandhari Empire. After the collapse of the Gandhari Empire, the area became part of the State of Gandhara. Due to its mountainous character and low population, the area remained relatively untouched during the Gandhari Revolution.
==Geography==
At , Qumi Governorate ranks as the 19th largest governorate of Gandhara, and it has the second-smallest population, only having approximately 2,000 inhabitants more that the least populated Dabbagh Governorate. Covered with the Hare Krishna mountain range, the entire governorate is at a high altitude: the lowest point is at and 99,9% of the governorate is above .
Qumi lies south of the region Gandhari Kurdistan. It borders Khani in the north, Dabbagh in the east, Kirmani and Sadat in the south, and Badawi in the west.
===Climate===
Qumi has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. The coldest month is January with average temperatures of between and and the warmest months are June through August when temperatures average between and at elevation. An average of only of precipitation falls per year.
===Fauna===
The fauna of the region is Palaearctic, and includes large carnivores such as the snow leopard, the gray wolf, and the brown bear, and the mountain ungulates Siberian ibex, Marco Polo sheep, and the yak.
==Demographics==
Major ethnic groups of Qumi are the Qumi, the Kyrgyz, and the Kho people. The Qumi make up around 75% of the governorate's population, while the Kyrgyz and the Kho people each make up around 9% of the population. Smaller groups include Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Kuchis.
The Qumi people speak Arabic or the Ishkashimi language, and most of them adhere the Shia Ismaili faith. Qumi people practice agriculture in the river valleys, and herd animals in the summer pastures at higher elevations. Many Qumi are traditional pastoralists who live in yurts.
The Kyrgyz are predominantly Muslims of the Hanafi Sunni school. Like the Qumi, many Kyrgyz lead a nomadic lifestyle. They are herders living at higher altitudes, and are led by a khan or tekin.
The Kho people are a Dardic ethnic group. They speak the Khowar language, a member of the Dardic subgroup of the Indo-Aryan language family, and are Sunni and Ismaili Muslims. Some of the Kho people use Urdu as a second language. Because of Gandhara's central location on the Outernatian Silk Route, the Kho display a wide variety of cultures, largely depending upon their ancestral ethnic group and family history.
The Kuchis, who make up around 3% of the governorate's population, live mostly in the south of Qumi. They belong to the Pashtun tribes who use the Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali, a code of conduct. Traditionally, the Kuchis live a semi-nomadic lifestyle with their herds of camels, sheep, and goats. Nowadays many Kuchis still follow their traditional livelihood of nomadic herding. Others have become farmers or settled in cities.
==Politics==
Each governorate of Gandhara is headed by a governor and a governorate council. Elias al-Zahrawi is the governor of Qumi since February 2016. The governor is appointed by the President of Gandhara, and presides over the governorate council, all of whose members are popularly elected for four-year terms. In addition, the governorate council elects from among its members an executive bureau which administers the day-to-day issues. Each executive officer is charged with specific functions.
Qumi is subdivided into districts, each of which is further divided into subdistricts. Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the interior minister. These officials work on local matters with elected district councils and serve as intermediaries between the central government and traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders, and councils of elders.
===Administrative divisions===
Qumi is subdivided into ten manāṭiq (Arabic: ; singular: minṭaqah). It is often translated as "district", but the literal meaning is "region" or "area". Each minṭaqah is further divided into nawāḥī (Arabic: ; singular: nāḥiyah), often translated as "subdistrict". A subdistrict usually consists of a number of villages and/or towns.
As Qumi has a relatively large nomadic tradition, many communities live together in clans under the supervision of a chief or clan leader, usually the eldest member of the clan. Many villages and small towns are led by a council of elders, the eldest inhabitants of the respective community.
 
District 	Capital 	Area (km²)	Population
Aybek 	Mirzakhan 	899 	9,758
Bermet 	Alamedin 	1,186 	8,574
Gilgamesh 	Koshtan 	2,682 	1,219
Ishkashim 	Ishkashim 	4,476 	11,092
North Kuchistan	Ghulam 	1,730 	10,117
Nurestan 	Dhul Fiqar	613 	4,951
Sahar Gul 	Kashmala 	1,065 	2,805
Shakur 	Zar Mina 	1,059 	21,734
Sumayah 	None1 	3,880 	1,123
Tabatabaei 	Tabatabaei	1,894 	32,351
Total 	Total 	19,484 	103,724
1 Directly administered from Tabatabaei.
==Economy==
Located on the ancient trade routes of Outernatia, Qumi has been central to economic and cultural interaction for centuries. The economy today relies heavily on mining, agriculture, and tourism. Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sahar Gul District for over 6,000 years. Other gemstone deposits, such as rubies and emeralds, are also found in the area.
Due to its harsh climate and geographical isolation, Qumi lacks modern infrastructure. The central government of Gandhara made plans to modernize and upgrade Qumi's infrastructure in order to foster economic prosperity in the region.
==See also==
*Administrative divisions of Gandhara
Category:Gandhara
Category:Governorates of Gandhara