Jalalabad
| Jalalkot (Jalalabad) جلال اباد |
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  Jalalkot (Jalalabad)
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
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| Province | Nangarhar Province |
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| Elevation | 1,814 ft (553 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 168,600 |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 (UTC) |
Jalalabad (Pashto: جلال اباد) 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 90 miles (140 km) of highway with Kabul to the west and about the same distance to Peshawar in Pakistan to the east. Its population is a mixture of Pashtun and the Dari-speaking Tajiks/Farsiwans. Sunni Islam forms the religion of a solid majority of the population. The Turi Pashtuns and Dari-speaking Kizilbash/Qizilbash inhabitants practice the Shia form of Islam. These, however, suffered immensely under the Wahabbi Taliban government, and were dispersed. [1]
Jalalabad/Jalalkot 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.
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History
The original name of Jalalabad was Adinapur .
| “ | 'In the following year 1505 , Babar meditated an incursion into India and proceeded by Jalalabad (then called Adinapur) and the Khaibar Pass to Peshawar [2] | ” |
In 630 Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, arrived in Jalalabad and considered himself to have reached Hindustan. However, the modern city of Jalalabad was built by Jalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar, the third ruler of Mughal Empire.
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.
The Provincial Reconstruction Team of the International Security Assistance Force at Jalalabad is led by the US.
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 Peshawer, Pakistan 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.
Trivia
- Jalalabad is featured as a map on the PC game Battlefield 2 as "Road to Jalalabad".
References
See also
- Gul Agha Sherzai
- Jalalabad Airport
- Provincial Reconstruction Team
- International Security Assistance Force
External links
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