Why is khyber pass important in history

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 travellers 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 British built a heavily engineered railway through the Pass.

The Pass became widely known to thousands of Westerners and Japanese who traveled it in the days of the hippie trail, taking a bus or car from Kabul to the Afghan border. At the Pakistani frontier post, travelers were advised not to wander away from the road, as the location was a barely controlled Federally Administered Tribal Area.

Monuments left by British Army units, as well as hillside forts, could be viewed from the highway. The area of the Khyber Pass has been connected with a counterfeit arms industry, making various types of weapons known to gun collectors as Khyber Pass copies, using local steel and blacksmiths' forges.

During the war in Afghanistan , the Khyber Pass has been a major route for resupplying military armament and food to the NATO forces in the Afghan area of conflict since the US started the invasion of Afghanistan in It has also been used to transport civilians from the Afghan side to the Pakistani one.

The Afghan Shinwari clan, who live in the Pass, regarded the Pass as their own preserve and have levied a toll on travelers for safe conduct.

The perspective view looks from Afghanistan, eastward into Pakistan. The image was acquired October 22, and is located at With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters about 50 to feet , ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet.

A joint U. Dec 11, am. Nice article by omer, khyber pass is a passage of great importance. It connects us with Afghanistan and beyound to Central Asia. Lot of tourism attractions abound this area, only few have been mentioned, understandably as access is limited. A must see for all free spirits. Recommend 0. Dec 11, pm. An excellent piece of writing, which is full of information which I have never read in any book.

A very engaging write up - thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Kudos to the author. These rustic sights across Pakistan captivate me.

Such a history. Great article. Very insightful. However you forgot to give some detail about the monument itself. Excellent write up and brings back memories of people and invaders to crosses this barren pass to conquer the oasis called India. Thanks for the excellent piece of writing. Great piece of work. Living in Toronto Dawn is the only link to the beauty of the Pakistan's north and west.

Thank you Dawn. It is almost romantic to read stories about Khyber Pass as it defined the history of the subcontinent. This is no exception, enjoyed it. The British and the Punjabis attacked Afghans in part to avenge the wrath of the looteras of Afghanistan. There wasn't too emphasis on religious identities at that time.

It is on my bucket list to visit! When was the last time when things were 'normal' around Khyber Pass!!! Pervez khan. One of the greatest battles fought in the Khyber Pass was in Pukhtuns vs the Mughals. A Mughal army of decimated by Aimal Khan Mohmand. This battle had along shadow on the future of the subcontinent.

Dr Nanditha Krishna. Fascinating article, very reminiscent of the Raj. I wish I could visit it some day. Nice article. Interesting and informative. Good pictures too. Thank you for sharing the history of a bygone era. Dec 13, pm. I enjoyed the article. Excellent piece of writing and gave me deep down info of my City Peshawar. Dec 14, am. This article is a wonderful piece of DAWN's work. Thank you for connecting us to our past, and gives a great overview of our past.

Awesome pics and writeup.