Jalalabad

Jalalabad
View of street scene in Jalalabad
Jalalabad Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 34°31′N 70°31′E / 34.517°N 70.517°E / 34.517; 70.517
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Nangarhar Province
District
Elevation	1,814 ft (553 m)
Population (2007)
- Total	205,423
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+4:30

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Jalalabad (Persian: جلال اباد - Jalālābād; also known as Pashto: جلالکوټ - Jalālkot) 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 with Peshawar in Pakistan to the east.

Jalalabad is the largest city in eastern Afghanistan as well as its social and business center of activity. Major industries include papermaking, as well agricultural products including oranges, rice, and sugarcane. Jalalabad is one of the leading trading centers with Pakistan and India.^[2]

History

In 630 Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, arrived in Jalalabad and considered himself to have reached Hindustan. The city was a major center of Gandhara's Greco-Buddhist culture in the past until it was conquered by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century. However, not everyone converted to Islam at that period as some still refused to accept it. In a book called Hudud-al-Alam, written in 982 CE, it mentions a village near Jalalabad where the local king used to have many Hindu, Muslim and Afghan wives.^[3]

It became part of the Turkish Ghaznavid Empire in the 10th century, during the Indian invasions by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. The modern city gained prominence during the reign of the Mughal emperor, Babur. 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 also mentioned here:

'In the following year 1505, Babar meditated an incursion into India and proceeded by Jalalabad (then called Adinapur) and the Khaibar Pass to Peshawar ^[4]

British troops were besieged by Akbar Khan in the city in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War. In 1878, the British again passed through Jalalabad during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the city served as a strategic location for the pro-Soviet government of Afghanistan. It fell to the Taliban in mid 1990s when they were on their way to capture Kabul.

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. The city is considered one of the most important cities of the Pashtun culture. The Military of Afghanistan is in control of security while the United States Military also has heavy presense. There are a number of US military bases, with the Jalalabad Airport being the largest.

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.

Demographics

The population of the city is mostly Pashtun people, at 90%. Pashais, who are often considered as Pashtuns, are 7%. The remaining 3% are Tajiks and Gujjars (Sikhs/Hindus).^[1] Pashto is the main language of the city and is also used throughout the province. Persian and Urdu are used as second languages due to the influence of the nearby people.

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.

Governor's House in Jalalabad in 2003	Pashtunistan Chowk in 2006	Behsood Bridge on Kabul River in 2009	Street scene in in 2004
Helicopters at Jalalabad's main airport	A field in Jalalabad

See also

• Battle of Jellalabad
• Gul Agha Sherzai
• Jalalabad Airport
• Provincial Reconstruction Team
• International Security Assistance Force

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jalalabad

• Images of Jalalabad