# Aybak

> town in Samangan Province, Afghanistan

**Wikidata**: [Q1020649](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1020649)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aybak,_Samangan)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/aybak-q1020649

## Summary

Aybak (also spelled Aibak; native label: ایبک) is a town in Samangan Province, Afghanistan, and serves as the provincial capital. Located at coordinates 36.25341°N, 68.03936°E at an elevation of 959 metres above sea level, it had an estimated population of 35,560 as of 2022. The settlement is classified as a city and functions as both a district and the administrative center of Samangan Province within the country of Afghanistan.

## Key Facts

- **Country:** Afghanistan
- **Administrative role:** Capital of Samangan Province
- **Classification:** City / large human settlement; also designated as a district of Samangan, Afghanistan
- **Population (1979):** 4,938
- **Population (2022 estimate):** 35,560 (preferred value)
- **Coordinates:** Latitude 36.25341, Longitude 68.03936
- **Elevation above sea level:** 959 metres
- **Native name:** ایبک (alternatively ایبک)
- **Alternative spellings:** Aibak (De Agostini ID), アイ－バク (Japanese), 艾巴克 (Chinese)
- **Wikipedia title:** Aybak, Samangan
- **Wikidata description:** Town in Samangan Province, Afghanistan
- **OpenStreetMap node ID:** 312781018
- **GeoNames ID:** 1127768
- **VIAF ID:** 158358135
- **Library of Congress Authority ID:** n86066489
- **Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names ID:** 1001515
- **National Library of Israel J9U ID:** 987007560016405171
- **Who's On First ID:** 890433609
- **Freebase ID:** /m/047gn0t
- **Sitelink count:** 30 (across Wikimedia projects)
- **Wikipedia languages available:** ar, ca, commons, da, de, en, eo, et, fa, fi, frr, ha, it, ko, nl, no, pl, ps, pt, ro, ru, simple, sl, sv, ta, tr, tt, ur, zh (29 languages)

## FAQs

**Where is Aybak located?**
Aybak is situated in northern Afghanistan within Samangan Province, at latitude 36.25341 and longitude 68.03936. It sits at an elevation of 959 metres above sea level and serves as both the capital of Samangan Province and its own district.

**How has Aybak's population changed over time?**
The town's recorded population was 4,938 in 1979 according to census data. By 2022, the estimated population reached 35,560, reflecting significant growth over approximately four decades as documented in the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) report "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2022–23."

**What is Aybak's administrative significance?**
Aybak holds a dual administrative role: it is the capital of Samangan Province and also constitutes its own district within that province. This makes it the primary political and administrative center for the region.

**Under which historical political entities has Aybak existed?**
As part of Afghanistan, Aybak has been governed under numerous political frameworks: the Hotak dynasty (from 1709), the Durrani Empire (from 1747), the Emirate of Afghanistan (from 1823), the Kingdom of Afghanistan (from 1926), the Republic of Afghanistan (from 1973), the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (from 1978), the Islamic State of Afghanistan (from 1992), the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (from 1996), the Transitional Islamic State (from 2002), the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (from 2004), and the current Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (from 2021).

## Why It Matters

Aybak's significance lies in its role as the administrative nerve center of Samangan Province in northern Afghanistan. As both the provincial capital and a district in its own right, it functions as the primary hub for governance, services, and regional coordination for the surrounding area. The town's dramatic population growth—from under 5,000 residents in 1979 to over 35,000 by the 2022 estimate—reflects broader patterns of urbanization and internal migration within Afghanistan, making it a useful case study for understanding demographic shifts in the country's northern provinces. Its strategic location and administrative importance have sustained its relevance across the many political transformations Afghanistan has undergone, from the Hotak dynasty through to the present-day Islamic Emirate.

## Notable For

- Serving as the capital of Samangan Province, placing it among Afghanistan's provincial administrative centers
- Experiencing a roughly sevenfold population increase between 1979 and 2022 (from 4,938 to 35,560)
- Being represented across 29 Wikipedia language editions, indicating notable international recognition
- Holding catalog records in major global library and geographic databases, including the Library of Congress, VIAF, Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names, and GeoNames
- Sitting at an elevation of 959 metres, characteristic of Afghanistan's mountainous interior terrain
- Functioning simultaneously as both a district and a provincial capital within Afghanistan's administrative hierarchy

## Body

### Geography and Location

Aybak is positioned at geographic coordinates 36.25341°N, 68.03936°E in northern Afghanistan. The town sits at an elevation of 959 metres above sea level, consistent with the elevated terrain typical of the Hindu Kush region and its surrounding areas. A locator map for Aybak is available through the Samangan Province relief image hosted on Wikimedia Commons, visually placing the town within the province's topographic context.

### Administrative Structure

Aybak occupies a layered position within Afghanistan's governance framework. The country, Afghanistan (country code ), encompasses the broader national context. Aybak is classified both as a city—a large human settlement—and specifically as a district of Samangan Province. Critically, it also serves as the capital of Samangan Province, making it the seat of provincial government. This capital designation is corroborated by reference to Samangan Province as the sourcing authority.

### Demographics

Population data for Aybak comes from two documented points in time. The 1979 census recorded 4,938 residents. The 2022 estimate, published by Afghanistan's National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) in the report "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2022–23," places the population at 35,560. This estimate, designated as the preferred value in the dataset, was published on October 5, 2022, and is available in multiple languages including Dari, Pashto, and English. The determination method is identified as an estimate rather than a full census count.

### Historical and Political Context

Afghanistan's political history, within which Aybak's own history is embedded, spans numerous regimes and governance models. The country's inception is traced to 1709 under the Hotak dynasty. Subsequent political eras include the Durrani Empire beginning June 19, 1747; the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1823; the Kingdom of Afghanistan from 1926; the Republic of Afghanistan from 1973; the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1978; the Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992; the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from 1996; the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan from 2002; the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004; and the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 2021.

### Nomenclature and Linguistic Presence

The town's native name is rendered as ایبک in Persian script. Alternative designations include "Aibak" (used in the De Agostini geographic encyclopedia), アイ－バク in Japanese, and 艾巴克 in Chinese. Its Wikidata description succinctly labels it as a "town in Samangan Province, Afghanistan." Aybak has Wikipedia articles across 29 language editions, spanning Arabic, Catalan, Danish, German, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Persian, Finnish, Northern Frisian, Hausa, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Pashto, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simple English, Slovenian, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Tatar, Urdu, and Chinese, in addition to Wikimedia Commons.

### Cataloging and Database Records

Aybak is indexed in numerous authoritative international databases and cataloging systems. The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) assigns it ID 158358135. The Library of Congress Authority File records it under ID n86066489, with a reference date of March 6, 2019. The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names lists it as entry 1001515. The National Library of Israel's J9U system catalogs it under ID 987007560016405171. GeoNames records it under identifier 1127768. The Who's On First gazetteer assigns it ID 890433609. The now-archived Freebase database held an entry under /m/047gn0t, with a publication date of October 28, 2013. Its De Agostini identifier is "Aibak," and its OpenStreetMap node ID is 312781018. A photograph titled "Aybak, Afghanistan" from the now-defunct Panoramio image hosting service is associated with the town's Wikimedia Commons file entry.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. First Population Census of Afghanistan (1979)
4. [Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2022-23](http://nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Estimated-1401-010_compressed.pdf)
5. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File