I cannot recall when first time I heard about Jalalabad, the beautiful and historic city of Afghanistan. My uncle has visited it and he always tells his travelogue of this city. My friends from Jalalabad always invite me to visit it and in sha Allah someday I will be there and my dream of visiting Afghanistan will come true. But for now let’s go on an online tour of Jalalabad as it will give us some knowledge about it.
Jalalabad (Persian/Pashto: جلال آباد Jalālābād), formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River 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. Jalalabad is the largest city in eastern Afghanistan as well as its social and business centre of activity. Major industries include papermaking, as well agricultural products including oranges, rice, and sugarcane. Jalalabad is one of the leading trading centres with neighboring Pakistan.
History:
In 630 Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, visited Jalalabad. 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.
The region became part of the Afghan Ghaznavid Empire in the 10th century, during the Indian invasions by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Later, it was controlled by the successor Ghurids until the Mongols invaded the area. It then became part of the Timurids.
The modern city gained prominence during the reign of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. Babur had chosen the site for this city and was built by his grandson Jalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar in 1570. The original name of Jalalabad was Adinapur as 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.
In the last decade of the sixteenth century Adinapur was renamed to Jalalabad after the son of Pir Roshan, Jalala who was fighting the Mughals in the Waziristan area. It remained part of the Mughal Empire until around 1738 when Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces from Khorasan came to take over control. Nader Shah was accompanied by the young Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the modern state of Afghanistan, who would re-conquer the area in 1747 after becoming the new ruler of the Afghans. He used the city while going back and forth during his nine military campaigns into India.
The city was invaded by Ranjit Singh and his Sikh army in the early 19th century but was quickly chased out a few days later by Afghan forces of Durrani Empire. The British forces invaded Jalalabad in 1838, during the First Anglo-Afghan War. In the 1842 Battle of Jellalabad, Akbar Khan besieged the British troops on their way to Jalalabad. In 1878, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the British again invaded and set up camps in Jalalabad but withdrew two years later.
Jalalabad is considered one of the most important cities of the Pashtun culture. Seraj-ul-Emarat, the residence of Amir Habibullah and King Amanullah was destroyed in 1929 when Habibullah Kalakani rose to power; the other sanctuaries however, retain vestiges of the past. The mausoleum of both rulers is enclosed by a garden facing Seraj-ul-Emart.
From 1978 to early 1990s, the city served as a strategic location for the pro-Soviet Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. It fell to the Mujahideen in 1992 when they were on their way to capture Kabul. It was conquered by the Taliban and became part of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the mid 1990s. During Operation Enduring Freedom after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the city was liberated and fell to US-backed Afghan forces.
Since late 2001, the military of Afghanistan and the United States armed forces have established a number of bases, with the one at Jalalabad Airport being the largest. The Afghan National Police is in control of security while the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also has a heavy presence in and around the city. In early 2011, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul announced that it plans to establish a consulate in Jalalabad. As is the case with other Afghan cities, occasional suicide attacks by militants have taken place in recent years.
Demographics:
The population of the city is mostly Pashtun people, at 90%. Pashais are 7%. The remaining 3% are Tajiks and Gujjars (Sikhs/Hindus).
Pashto is the main language of the city and is also used throughout the province. Many people in the city are also fluent in Dari (Persian) and Urdu. Although English is very little in use, it is now being taught in most schools.
Nearly everyone in Jalalabad are Muslim, followers of Sunni Islam. The city is home to one of Afghanistan's few Hindu temples, the Dargha Hindu Temple on Chowk Omomi Street.
Transportation:
The Jalalabad Airport serves as the main airport for air travellers in the region. There have been proposals for the establishment of Afghanistan's rail network linking Jalalabad with Pakistan Railways, allowing for increased trade of goods, people and commerce between the two countries.
Jalalabad is connected by roads with Kabul and Peshawar in Pakistan. All the trade between the two nations pass through this city. The highway between Jalalabad and the capital Kabul has been re-surfaced in recent years, reducing the transit time between these two important cities. Because of the many traffic accidents, the highway between the city of Jalalabad and Kabul is considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world. An improvement in the road networks between Jalalabad and 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.
Places of interest:
Jalalabad is considered one of the most beautiful cities of Afghanistan. It has plenty of greenery and water. About 15 Kilometers from Jalalabad a new city called Ghazi Amanullah Khan City is under development. Named after King Amanullah Khan, it is said to be the first, the biggest and the most modern city in the history of Afghanistan.
Siraj Ul Imarat Recreational Park is very beautiful and serves the people of Jalalabad to recreate and spend their leisure hours. It is near the mausoleum of Amir Habibullah and King Amanullah Khan. The park is considered to be one of the notable places in Jalalabad.
Jalalabad is considered the capital of Afghan cricket, with many of the national players coming from the surrounding areas. Construction has begun near the city on one of Afghanistan's cricket stadium. It is hoped that this ground will serve the domestic competition and attract international teams.
- Airports
- Jalalabad Airport
- Stadiums
- Sherzai Cricket Stadium (under construction)
- National Football Stadium
- Mausoleums
- Mausoleum of King Amanullah Khan
- Mausoleum of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- Mausoleum of Mohammad Gul Khan Momand
- Universities
- Nangarhar University
Though I do not belong to Afghanistan but some cities of Afghanistan fascinate me and Jalalabad is on the top of them and I love Jalalabad as I do love Abbottabad, my home city because I have some very good friends from Jalalabad and have heard very much about it. They often invite me to visit Jalalabad and I will do it soon in sha Allah. May Allah bless this beautiful city of beautiful and nice people! Ameen!
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