Shortugai
Shortugai Exclave
Jebul Sortugaiy Jebul Horat'thana (obsolete) | |
|---|---|
Unitary authority | |
 Tributary creek of the Oxus River | |
| Country | Mel-akkam |
| Capital | Shortugai City (de facto) |
| Government | |
| • President | Abdullah Hassan (Liberal Democratic Party) |
| • Legislature | Shortugai Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | ... km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Total | 103,691,802 |
| Province Number | 10 |
| Website | sgexclave.ml (planned) |
Shortugai, officially the Shortugai Exclave and formerly known by its Dravidian name Horat'thana, is a sui generis unitary authority in Mel-akkam, simultaneously a region, province, and local government district. Located in the Oxus River Valley between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the exclave is home to large Pashtun and Tajik populations. It is the second-smallest and least populous of Mel-akkam's provinces.
History
Shortugai was established around 2000 BCE as a trading post for exchanges with the Oxus civilisation. By 1700 BCE, it was no longer used for this purpose, as the people of Oxus civilisation had moved south through Mel-akkan territory and into the Indian subcontinent, but the town remained and expanded. Around 100 CE, it was subjected to an assault by the Parthians, but the attack was repelled after its inhabitants forged a temporary alliance with the Roman Empire. By the Middle Ages, Shortugai had become an important caravanserai on the Silk Road, bringing great wealth to the town and allowing it to expand its sphere of influence into the surrounding valleys. Increased trade also resulted in the inhabitants of Shortugai developing a much more materialist outlook than their fellow Thari and Saurashtran Mel-akkans, a pattern which continues to this day. Shortugai, along with the rest of Mel-akkam, was annexed by the Mughals in 1561 and by the British Raj in 1678. During World War II, it was one of seven Mel-akkan provinces that did not come under the control of Maina Kathina's collaborationist regime. Shortugai joined the new Mel-akkan state when the latter gained its independence in 1947. Ever since, it has been governed as a sui generis unitary authority.