Parun (Pashto/Dari: پارون, romanized: Pārūn, Dari pronunciation: [pʰɒːˈruːn], Pashto pronunciation: [pɑˈrun]), also called Prasûn and Prasungul, is a small town and administrative center of Nuristan Province and its Parun District in Afghanistan.
The city of Parun has a population of 1,647.[1] It has 1 district and a total land area of 350 hectares.[1] The total number of dwellings in Parun is 183.[1]
On 15 August 2021, Parun was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the thirty-second provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.
Parun is a village in northeastern Afghanistan with only 350 hectares and 183 dwellings.[1] It is predominantly forest land (54%) followed by agriculture (33%).[1] Built-up land only accounts for 7% of total land use.[1] But unlike many other cities, Parun does not have any barren land and only 4 hectares of vacant plots.[1]
Parun has 6 villages: Ishtewi, Pronz, Dewa, Kushteki, Tsutsum and Pashki. They are located over a distance of 20 km from north to south along the Parun River. Ishtewi, the upper village, lies at an altitude of 2,850 m above sea level, while Pashki, the lowest village, lies at 2,500 m above sea level .
Under the Köppen climate classification, Parun has a subarctic climate (Dsc). The average temperature for the year in Parun is 1.2 °C (34.2 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 11.7 °C (53.1 °F), while the coldest month on average is January, with an average temperature of −11.1 °C (12.0 °F).
According to news published in 2007, the governor of Nuristan Province was planning to establish a city of about 20,000 people in Parun. This would make it "the first city in Nuristan". The report indicated that some construction had begun.[3]
Wasi-wari is natively spoken in Parun, while Kamkata-vari, Pashto and Dari are also understood. The Gurjars of Parun also speak their native language, known as Gujari.