Samangan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country bordered by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The province covers 6,425 square miles and has a population of approximately 406,000 people.

Its capital Samangan is known for its Buddhist ruins such as the stupa named Takht e Rustam. Archeologists are desperate to work in this province as wars and the Taliban have destroyed many of these artifacts.

A series of earthquakes struck the province on March 3, 2002, causing the loss of thousands of lives and homes.