The legend of Khyber Pass in Pakistan
I have always known the importance of the Khyber Pass of Pakistan in the history of ancient India, primarily in stopping invasions from the West. What I did not realize were the legends associated with this narrow mountain pass on the North Western edge of Pakistan, with Afghanistan.
Khyber Pass from Peshawar
My trip to the Pakistan-Afghan border from Peshawar was to experience what mighty conquerors, courageous travelers, and brave soldiers saw when they reached this narrow gorge in the Spin Ghar spur of the Hindu Kush mountain range.
I will try to summarise the experience for you:-
Khyber Pass location
The Khyber Pass at 1073 m is a 53-km gorge that extends from Torkham town on the border with Nangarhar province Afghanistan to Jamrud town near Peshawar, Pakistan.
Route to the pass from Islamabad
The Khyber Pass is 230 km from Islamabad, driving towards the West on the Islamabad Peshawar highway. It takes 3.5 h to get there.
Conquerors of the Khyber Pass
Because any route south or north of this pass is so treacherous and impassable, historical greats like
- Cyrus
- Darius I
- Alexander’s general Hephaestion
- Genghis Khan
- Chandragupta Maurya
- The original Aryans (indo Iranians)
- Babur and
- Mahmood Ghaznavi
