World’s largest “abad” suffix cities – UPDATED

Posted on December 2, 2019 by problogic

Hyderabad, India – Source: en.wikipedia.org

-abad is a suffix that forms part of many west, central and south Asian city names originally derived from the Persian language term ābād (آباد), meaning “cultivated place” (village, city, region), and commonly attached to the name of the city’s founder or patron.

The most common version of an “abad” city is Jalalabad which is apparently named for the Saint, Pir Jalala. A minimum population of 10,000 was required for inclusion. Just over half of the cities on the list (37) are located in India.  One surprise was discovering Fyzabad in Trinidad & Tobago. As far as known is, it’s the only “abad” city situated outside of Asia.

Gorgeous nighttime view of Faisalabad, Pakistan – Source: pinterest.com

While conducting background research for this post it was noted that detailed population data was not available for all cities/towns in this region. As a result, there may be some places that exceed the 10,000 resident minimum that are not included.

8/2/23 Update – Included more recent populations estimates for cities whose data was 10 or more years old. 

Any additions, corrections, or suggestions to this list are most welcome. Enjoy!

  1. Hyderabad, India =  9,283,000 (2023 est.)
  2. Ahmedabad, India = 7,692,000  (2023 est.)
  3. Faisalabad, Pakistan = 3,203,846 (2017)
  4. Ghaziabad, India = 2,273,000 (2023 est.)
  5. Faridabad, India = 2,063,096 (2023 est.)
  6. Hyderabad, Pakistan = 1,734,309 (2017)
  7. Aurangabad, India = 1,599,927  (2021 est.)
  8. Allahabad, India = 1,415,463  (2021 est.)
  9. Dhanbad, India = 1,348,238 (2021 est.)
  10. Islamabad, Pakistan = 1,014,825 (2017)
  11. Moradabad, India = 1,232,190  (2021 est.)
  12. Firozabad, India = 845,746  (2021 est.)
  13. Khorpramabad, Iran = 373,416 (2016)
  14. Jalalabad, Afghanistan = 356,275 (2014)
  15. Farrukhabad, India = 350,610 (2021 est.)
  16. Nizamabad, Telangana, India = 336,657  (2021 est.)
  17. Wazirabad, Pakistan = 299,751 (date unknown)
  18. Secunderabad, India = 299,000 (2023 est.)
  19. Hafizabad, Pakistan = 245,784 (2017)
  20. Sadiqabad, Pakistan = 239,677 (2017)
  21. Najafabad, Iran = 235,281 (2016)
  22. Faizabad, India = 226,000 (2023 est.)
  23. Abbottabad, Pakistan = 208,491 (2017)
  24. Jacobābād, Pakistan = 191,076 (2017)
  25. Leninabad (known as Khujand since 1991), Tajikistan = 181,600 (2015)
  26. Mahabad, Iran = 168,393 (2016)
  27. Hoshangabad, India = 161,000 (2023 est.)
  28. Adilabad, India = 160,000 (2023 est.)
  29. Jehanabad, India = 142,000 (2023 est.)
  30. Aurangabad, Bihar, India = 139,000 (2023 est.)
  31. Wazīrābād, Pakistan = 128,090 (2017)
  32. Najibabad, India = 121,000 (2023 est.)
  33. Nazrabad, Iran = 119,512 (2016)
  34. Sikandrabad, India = 111,000 (2023 est.)
  35. Shahabad, Hardoi, India = 110,000 (2023 est.)
  36. Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan = 109,200 (2009)
  37. Hārūnābād, Pakistan = 107,898 (2017)
  38. Muzaffarabad, Pakistan = 96,000 (2010) and Zahirabad, India = 96,000 (2023 est.)
  39. Parsabad, Iran = 93,387 (2016)
  40. Eslamabad-e Garb, Iran = 90,559 (2016)
  41. Shahabad, Gulbarga, India = 63,000 (2023 est.) and Shabad, India = 63,000 (2023 est.)
  42. Humnabad, India = 59,000 (2023 est.)
  43. Sadabad, India = 55,000 (2023 est.)
  44. Vikarabad, India = 53,143 (2011)
  45. Aurangabad, West Bengal, India = 53,000 (2023 est.)
  46. Aliabad-e Kabul, Iran = 52,838 (2016)
  47. Shahabad, Rampur, India = 51,000 (2023 est.)
  48. Mustabad, India = 49,879 (date unknown)
  49. Asadabad, Afghanistan = 48,400 (date unknown)
  50. Koda Jahanabad, India = 45,410 (2011)
  51. Shamsabad, India = 45,000 (2023 est.)
  52. Shahabad Markanda, India = 42,607 (2011)
  53. Dowlatabad, Isfahan, Iran = 40,945 (2016)
  54. Fayzabad, Afghanistan = 39,555 (2021)
  55. Jalalabad, India = 38,000 (2023 est.)
  56. Allah Abad, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan = 37,500 (1998)
  57. Jafrabad, India = 37,000 (2023 est.)
  58. Sabirabad, Azerbaijan = 30,612 (2018)
  59. Hajjiabad, Hormozgan, Iran = 28,977 (2016)
  60. Jalalabad, Bijnor, India = 27,900 (2023 est.)
  61. Mahmudabad, Iran = 31,844 (2016)
  62. Fazelabad, Golestan, Iran = 19,461 (2016)
  63. Feyzabad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran = 18,120 (2016)
  64. Karimabad, India = 16,000 (1996)
  65. Fyzabad, Trinidad & Tobago = 13,099 (2011)
  66. Nizamabad, Uttar Pradesh, India = 12,096 (2011)
  67. Khorpramabad, Maznaran, Iran = 11,542 (2016)
  68. Ordubad, Azerbaijan = 10,239 (date unknown)

SOURCES:

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1 Response to World’s largest “abad” suffix cities – UPDATED

  1. ozzy says:
    October 24, 2022 at 12:20 pm

    I think you forgot Asghabat in Turkmenistan

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