The record-union., 1897-09-26
KHYBER PASS.
situation OF the Northwestern
Gateway to British india.

situation OF the Northwestern,
Gateway to British India.
From the Khyber Pass, the north
western gateway of British India, &pS
one OF the four chief passes which unite
our possessions with Afghanistan. is
the narrow winding defile vending be-
tween cliffs of shale and limestone rock
6OO or 1000 feet high, which runs
through the Khyber Range, the north
ernmost spurs of the Safed Koh Noun
talns, between Peshawar and Jellala-
bad. It's highest point is 3,400 feet
above the sea on the ridge come citing
the Khyber with the Safed Koh range,
and forming the watershed Of two small
streams, the one flowing northwest to
PJelIalabad and the Kabul River, the
other south-southeast toward Jamrwo,
the last British outpost ten and a half
miles from Peshawar. The pass lies
along the beds of these torrents, and,
especially in July and August, is sub
ject to sudden floods. The gradient is
generally easy, except at the Land Kha-
ma Pass, but it is covered with loose
Fstones, which become larger as the head
of the stream is reached. To the north
of the defile lies the Khyber Range. to
SAiN oStANAA bhC 4ociI OyOI vi the odIG4
Koh divides it from the Bara Valley,
the river of Peshawa. The mountains
which shut it in vary in hight from
5000 to 1000 feet. Here and there on
the vast promontories of rock which
run out into the defile rise Buddhist Da-
gobas, monuments of the time century
after Alexander the Great, when the
great doctrine of Sakya NUM- reigned
throughout Northern India Here and
there written stones bearing Graeco-
Bactrfom inscriptions are to be seen in
the mountains, while dolmens of un-
known origin disposed in rings resem-
bling the stone circles of Stonehenge
rise at the entrance of tributary gorges.
The following details are condensed
from General MacGregor's official ac-
count of the pass:
Immediately on leaving Jamrud
q $40 feet, fort with three encircling
walls of stone, which stands 100 feet
above the valley, the defensible ground
may be said to begin, as the spurs come
almost up to that place in round bare
knolls of low hight, but very sufficient
command of the road. Kadam, how
ever, a village on a hilltop three miles
from Jamrud, is looked on as the real
eastern entry Of the pass. Thence to
Ali Musjid q 433 feeD is eight miles. At
first the bed of the pass is easy, level
and covered with small shingle but the
hills soon close in, the gorge narroWs
first to a width of $40 feet, the hills on
either side being sheer precipices, and
then gradually to 20 feeE where it runs
in cleft between lofty precipices.
Opening out again to 210 feet, it mar
rows to 40 feet at Ali Musjid, the hills
being perpendicular and inaccessible. To
all appearance they are inaccessible the
whole way from Kadam, but in reality
they can be crowend in places. All
Musiid is strongly fortified and held by
detachment of Khyber Rifles, levied
from among the Afridi tribes, who are
now fighting against US. Between Ali
Musjid and Landi Khana (2,4SS feeD
the road runs through a valley varying
in width from go to 800 feet between
hills on the left precipitOus, on the right
comparatively easy, but in the Lalabeg
Valley, about one and half miles long,
the road narrows to 10 feet, the hills
being quite perpendicular. Beyond this
the road goes over the Landi khana
Pass, the width being 140 feet and the
hills being very steep, especially on the
left The top of the pass is at Landi
* Ota1 t0,0IO IeeIJ, WHICH - SlIOHSIS
garrisoned Ten miles further on is
Dhaka Il ,404 feeD, where the defile
opens into the plain of Jellalabad. The
ascent over the Landi Khana Pass is
narrow, rugged, steep and generally the
most difficult point of the whole road.
Guns could not be drawn here except
by men: the descent is over a we'll
made road and not so difficult. Just be-
yond Ali Musjid the road passes over
head of projecting and slippery rock,
which makes this portion extremely diff
fcult for ladened animals. The whole
length Of the pass from Jamrud TO
Dhaka is thirty three miles From Jei-
Ia1abad road runs up the valley to the
Kounar River to Kafiristan which af-
fords an easy communication through
Chitral with the Russian frontier on the
Oxus. The Khyber can be turned by the
Tatara road, which goes to the north OF
the range from Jamrud to Dhaka. In
time of peace the traffic in the Khyber
is secured by the tribute paid to the
Afridis. who undertake to keep the pass
open on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 1t
has thus become the main road for COM
munication between India and Afghan
istan.-London Daily News.