Charikar

Charikar, also known as Imam Abu Hanifa or Imam Azam, is a city in the northeastern area of Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Parwan Province. It is within the jurisdiction of Charikar District and has an estimated population of 222,751 people. They include various ethnic groups of Afghanistan. The mayor of the city is Hafiz Raz Mohammad Yasir.

Charikar was officially renamed in December 2022 to honor the 8th-century Sunni Muslim theologian and jurist Abu Hanifa, who is also sometimes called Imam Azam ("The Great Imam") and was the founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. The city lies on the Afghanistan Ring Road, 69 km (43 mi) from Kabul along the route to the northern provinces. Travelers would pass the city when traveling to Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz or Puli Khumri. Despite the proximity to Kabul, slightly more than half of the land is not built-up. Of the built-up land, almost equal parts are residential (37%) and vacant plots (32%), with a grid network of road coverage amounting to 19% of built-up land area, as of 2015. The city is at the gateway to the Panjshir Valley, where the Shamali plains meet the foothills of the Hindu Kush, and is known for its pottery and high-quality grapes. It has four police districts (nahias) and a total land area of 3,025 ha (11.68 sq mi).