Jalalabad
Jalalabad | |
|---|---|
 View of an area in Jalalabad in April 2004 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Nangarhar Province |
| Elevation | 1,814 ft (553 m) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 168,068 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Jalalabad (Pashto: جلال اباد or ' ') is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul and Kunar rivers near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately 95 miles (153 km) of highway with Kabul to the west and about the same distance to Peshawar in Pakistan to the east.
Jalalabad is one of the leading trading centers with India and Pakistan. [1][2]
Jalalabad is the largest city of east Afghanistan as well as its social and business center. Major industries include papermaking as well agricultural products including oranges, rice, and sugarcane.
The city was a major center of Greco-Buddhist culture in the past until it was conquered by Muslim Turks by the 10th century. The modern city gained prominence during the reign of the Mughal emperor Babur. Invaded on numerous occasions, the city fell to the British in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War. Today the city is being rebuilt under NATO and UN direction after decades of war and has been receiving an influx of returning refugees largely from Pakistan.
History
Present-day Jalalabad was the major city of the ancient Gandhara's Greco-Bhuddist center.
The founder of the Mughal empire of India, Babur, had chosen the site for this city and the city was built by his grandson Jalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar in 1570.
The original name of Jalalabad was Adinapur as mentioned in the following source:
'In the following year 1505 , Babar meditated an incursion into India and proceeded by Jalalabad (then called Adinapur) and the Khaibar Pass to Peshawar [3]
In 630 Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, arrived in Jalalabad and considered himself to have reached Hindustan.
The city is considered one of the most important cities of the Pashtun culture and bears much resemblance to Peshawar, though, Peshawar is far larger than Jalalabad.
Historical Buildings and Monuments
Seraj-ul-Emarat, the residence of Amir Habibullah and King Amanullah was destroyed in 1929; the other sanctuaries however, retain vestiges of the past and offer a peaceful afternoon's crunch. The mausoleum of both rulers is enclosed by a garden facing Seraj-ul-Emart.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan), the great Pashtun leader, is buried in the city of Jalalabad.
Despite the tens of newly built and historical Masjids, there is also a Sikh Gurudwara in Jalalabad. This Gurudwara is locally known as Dharamsaal or Dharamshala and is surrounded by many Sikh shop keepers' shops.
People
The majority of its population are the Pashtuns.[4] There are also a small number of Persian speaking population who might have migrated from the nearby Kabul.
Sunni Islam forms the religion of a solid majority of the population. The Turi Pashtuns and Dari-speaking Kizilbash inhabitants practice the Shia form of Islam. These, however, suffered immensely under the Taliban government, and were dispersed. [5]
Modern Development
There has been proposals for the establishment of Afghanistan's first rail network linking Jalalabad with Pakistan's vast and extensive rail service allowing for increased trade of goods, people and commerce between the two countries. An improvement in the road networks between the Jalalabad leading into Peshawar has also been proposed, with the intention of widening the existing road and improving security to attract more tourism and allow for safer passage of goods between to the two countries.
The international community has re-surfaced the road link between Jalalabad and the capital Kabul reducing the transit time between these two important cities.
- Jalalabad Rd.
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Rock fall -
References
- ^ http://www.bartleby.com/65/ja/Jalalaba.html
- ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/299643/Jalalabad
- ^ Gazetteer of the Peshawar District 1897-98 Page 55
- ^ http://www.bartleby.com/65/ja/Jalalaba.html
- ^ Jalalabad, Columbia University (retrieved 28 March 2008).
See also
- Gul Agha Sherzai
- Jalalabad Airport
- Provincial Reconstruction Team
- International Security Assistance Force
External links
