This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007) Khyber Pass Looking back towards Afghanistan, on the Pakistan side of the Khyber Pass Elevation 1,070 m (3,510 ft) Location Location Pakistan/Afghanistan Range Safed Koh Coordinates 34°8′5.83″N 71°5′41.74″E / 34.1349528°N 71.0949278°E / 34.1349528; 71.0949278Coordinates: 34°8′5.83″N 71°5′41.74″E / 34.1349528°N 71.0949278°E / 34.1349528; 71.0949278 The Khyber Pass, (Pashto: د خیبر درہ, Urdu: درۂ خیبر) (altitude: 1,070 m or 3,510 ft) is a mountain pass that links Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road and throughout history, it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and South Asia and a strategic military location. The summit of the Khyber Pass is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) inside Pakistan at Landi Kotal and it cuts through the northeastern part of the Safed Koh mountains which themselves are a far southeastern extension of the Hindu Kush range. Contents 1 History 1.1 Current conflicts 2 Conquerors and generals 3 See also 4 Further reading 5 References History

In some versions of the Aryan migration theory, the Indo-Aryans migrated to India via the Khyber Pass.citation needed Recorded invasions through the Khyber begin with the conquests of Darius I and Alexander the Great and also include later Muslim invasions of South Asia, culminating with the establishment of the Mughul Empire from 1526. The British invaded Afghanistan from India and fought three Afghan Wars in 1839-42, 1878-80, and 1919. George Molesworth, a member of the British force of 1919, summarised: "Every stone in the Khyber has been soaked in blood." Rudyard Kipling called it "a sword cut through the mountains." Afghan chiefs and a British Political officer posed at Jamrud fort at the mouth of the Khyber Pass in 1878. To the north of the Khyber Pass lies the country of the 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 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 Khyber Pass Railway from Jamrud, near Peshawar, to the Afghan border near Landi Kotal was opened in 1925. During WWII concrete "dragon’s teeth" (tank obstacles) were erected on the valley floor due to British fears of a German tank invasion of India.1 The Pass became widely known to thousands of Westerners and Japanese who travelled it in the days of the Hippie trail, taking a bus or car from Kabul to the Afghan border. At the Pakistani frontier post, travellers were advised not to wander away from the road, as the location was then a barely controlled Federally Administered Tribal Area. Then, after customs formalities, a quick daylight drive through the Pass was made. 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.23 Current conflicts Khyber Pass During the current war in Afghanistan, the Khyber Pass has been a major route for resupplying NATO forces in the Afghan theater of conflict. Recognizing this, the Taliban attempted to choke off the route in late 2008 and early 2009, bringing the Taliban into conflict with the Pakistani government.4 In February 2009, a bridge 15 miles northwest of Peshawar was blown up by militants presumably sympathetic to or sponsored by the Taliban. While it was not considered to be a major strategic blow to the allied war effort, it invigorated efforts to secure additional supply routes, some of which may ultimately run through Iran. However, the current general consensus is that the new supply route will pass through various central Asian republics to the north of Afghanistan.5 Conquerors and generals

The commanders who crossed the Khyber Pass all led armies eastward in the conquest of India, except for Chandragupta Maurya, Ranjit Singh, George Pollock and Sir Donald Stewart who crossed in the opposite direction. Cyrus the Great Alexander the Great Chandragupta Maurya Demetrius I of Bactria Mahmud Ghaznavi Muhammad Ghori Genghis Khan Qutlugh Khwaja Tamerlane Babur the Tiger Ranjit Singh Humayun Shah Jahan Nader Shah Afshar Ahmad Shah Durrani George Pollock Sir Donald Stewart, 1st Baronet See also Pakistan portal Find more about Khyber Pass on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Agency Federally Administered Tribal Areas Durand Line Khyber train safari Pakistan Standard Time Carry On... Up the Khyber Khyber Pass Copy Further reading Molesworth, Lt-Gen. G.N., Afghanistan 1919 (Asia Publishing House, 1962). This book describes in detail the author's passage (Prince Albert's)Somerset Light Infantry. Victor Bayley CIE CBE. "Permanent Way through the Khyber", Jarrolds (1934). In an article illustrated with photos, the author describes the construction of the railway. The book was reprinted in 1998 by Gyan Publishing House, India as Adventure through Khyber in a breach of copyright. References ^ "Introducing The Khyber Pass". Lonelyplanet.com. 2009-03-24. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/pakistan/north-west-frontier-province/the-khyber-pass. Retrieved 2010-11-12.  ^ http://www.odcmp.org/new_forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=52881 ^ "How to spot a 'Khyber special'". Surplusrifleforum.com. http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=26656. Retrieved 2010-11-12.  ^ OPPEL Jr, RICHARD A. (2009-01-03). "Pakistan Briefly Reopens Key NATO Supply Route". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/world/asia/03pstan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss.  ^ Farmer, Ben (2009-02-03). "Khyber Pass bridge used by Nato is blown up by militants". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/4448121/Khyber-Pass-bridge-used-by-Nato-is-blown-up-by-militants.html. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 

Khyber Gate on Jamrud Road Khyber Pass looking towards Afghanistan Khyber Rifles watch tower "May Peace Prevail On Earth" post Khyber Pass Gateway southbound towards Peshawar Derelict British-built railway line and ruined Buddhist Stupa NATO forces transport activity Typical Pakistani transport truck and passengers Soldier with AK-47 watching Khyber Pass Washed out bridge Khyber Pass Military Regiment Signs Khyber Gate Information Plaque #1 Khyber Gate Information Plaque #2 Mountain passes of Pakistan The Khyber Railway. With a Pakistan Railways HGS 2-8-0 at front and rear a charter train climbs the Khyber Pass through a series of zig-zags to gain height

An advertisement card from 1910 depicting Khaiber Pass

An advertisement card from 1910 depicting Khaiber Pass

An advertisement card from 1910 depicting Khaiber Pass

An advertisement card from 1910 depicting Khaiber Pass