Khyber Pass

The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan (Nangarhar Province). It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing part of the Spin Ghar mountains. An integral part of the ancient Silk Road, it has long had substantial cultural, economic, and geopolitical significance for Eurasian trade. Throughout history, it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent and a vital strategic military choke point for various states that came to control it. The summit of the pass is 5 km (3.1 mi) inside Pakistan at Landi Kotal, while the lowest point is .46 km (0.29 mi) at Jamrud in the Valley of Peshawar. The Khyber Pass is part of Asian Highway1 (AH1).

History

Infamous invasions of the area have been predominantly through the Khyber Pass, such as the invasions by Cyrus, Darius I, Genghis Khan, and later Mongols such as Duwa, Qutlugh Khwaja, and Keek. Prior to the Kushan era, the Khyber Pass was not a widely used trade route.

The Khyber Pass became a critical part of the Silk Road, a major trade route from East Asia to Europe. The Parthian Empire fought for control of passes such as this to gain access to the silk, jade, rhubarb, and other luxuries moving from China to Western Asia and Europe. Through the Khyber Pass, Gandhara (in present-day Pakistan) became a regional center of trade connecting Bagram in Afghanistan to Taxila in Pakistan, adding Indian luxury goods such as ivory, pepper, and textiles to the Silk Road commerce. Among the Muslim invasions of the Indian subcontinent through the Khyber Pass were Mahmud Ghaznavi, Afghan Muhammad Ghori, and the Turkic Mongols.

Finally, Sikhs under great Ranjit Singh captured the Khyber Pass in 1834. Famous Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa, who manned the Khyber Pass for years, became a household name in Afghanistan. As a part of India, the pass was mentioned as part of a common phrase used to describe the length of the country, "Khyber to Kanyakumari".

To the north of the Khyber Pass lies the country of the Shalmani tribe and Mullagori tribe. To the south is Afridi Tirah, while the inhabitants of villages in the Pass itself are Afridi clansmen. Throughout the centuries the Pashtun clans, particularly the Afridis and the Afghan Shinwaris, have regarded the Pass as their own preserve and have levied a toll on travelers for safe conduct. Since this has long been their main source of income, resistance to challenges to the Shinwaris' authority has often been fierce.

For strategic reasons, after the First World War, the government of British India built a heavily engineered railway through the Pass. The Khyber Pass Railway from Jamrud, near Peshawar, to the Afghan border near Landi Kotal was opened in 1925.