Khyber Pass Gateway History

Notwithstanding obvious signs of ageing, the Khyber Gate still presents an imposing sight. The towering structure stands at Jamrud and serves as the entrance of the historic Khyber Pass, used as passage to South Asia by kings, invaders, barbarians and smugglers since time immemorial.

The pass has been witness to the Macedonian armies of Alexander, the tartar warriors of Genghis Khan, the soldiers of the legendary Mahmood of Ghazna, Ahmad Shah Abdali and countless others. The pass represents more than history; it represents the ruthless progression of time.It was to acknowledge the importance of this passage that a gate of gray-brown brick, the Bab-e-Khyber, was constructed in the early 60s and inaugurated by president Ayub Khan on June 11, 1963. With time, the gate has become a symbol of the NWFP and its tribal belt.

The Khyber Pass serves as the passageway from the sub-continent to Afghanistan and Central Asia. It is unique in its geography and rich history. Situated to the west of Peshawar, the pass is located in a beautiful and fertile valley surrounded by an unbroken girdle of mountains akin to a Roman amphitheatre. It functions as a fascinating rendezvous of a series of rippling brown crags and valleys, part of the Suleman Mountains which is an off-shoot of the mighty Himalayas from the Communism Peak, the roof of the world. The Khyber Pass provides a platform for what is the most extensive mountain panorama in the world. The Peshawar plain lends distance and perspective to it, a tremendous scenic canvas against which the rugged Pathan plays out his life.

Not unlike the people, the Khyber witnesses extreme climate of biting cold and scorching heat round the year. The actual pass opens up about three miles beyond the Khyber Gate, with a road snaking its way northwest for 23 miles until it reaches the Torkham border with Afghanistan.

However, the 43-year-old gate is already exhibiting signs of dilapidation. Cracks in the gate's upper portion and stone bricks are widening. The fading inscriptions on the marble stones on the sidewall are perhaps symbolic of the gate's evanescent grandeur. The ample graffiti on the walls is indicative of the merciless public. The ongoing vandalism in spite of the presence of a Tribal Force check post nearby is a testament to their indifference to this national monument. It is a pity that the gateway to a historic passage suffers today from decay borne of neglect.