Peshawar / Attractions / The Khyber Pass
The prime
attraction in this region is the Khyber Pass situated in the Sulaiman
hills which form the western barrier of Pakistan. The hills dip
down here, leaving a passage sometimes as broad as 1 1/2 kms (I
mile) and sometimes as narrow as 16 metres (42 feet). The pass
begins near jamrud Fort 18 kms (11 miles) from Peshawar and extends
beyond the border of Pakistan at Torkham 58 kms (36 miles) away.
At Torkham PTDC has a Motel-cum-Information Centre which is closed
at present due to unsettled conditions in Afghanistan.
You may travel
by road from Peshawar via Jamrud fort which lies amongst low stony
hills capped will, pickets manned by Khyber Rifles. Also on the
way you will see Ali Masjid and the fort with insignia of the
regiments that have served in the Khyber On route is also the
Sphola stupa of Buddhist period (2-5 centuries A-D) and Landikotal
Bazaar until you reach the border post at Torkham. The other exciting
way of seeing Khyber Pass is to under take a 42 kms and 31/2 hours
journey to Landikotal by the equally legendary Khyber Railway.
Khyber Railway:
It threads its way through 34 tunnels crossing 92 bridges and
culverts and climbing 1,200 metres. The British built it in 1920
at an enormous cost ot Rs. two million. Two or three coaches are
pulled and pushed by two 1920 model steam engines. At one point,
the track climbs 130 metres in less than a mile by means of the
famous Changai Spur, a section of track shaped like a "W" with
two reversing stations.
The Khyber
Pass is presently closed to visitors and the Khyber Railway is
also not operative due to unsettled conditions in Afghanistan.
The Railway will, however be operative in the not too distant
future. Darra Adam Khel is 42 kms (26 miles) south of Peshawar
and leads on to Kohat. Darra is the biggest centre of indigenous
arms manufacture. It has been supplying arms to the whole tribal
belt for the last 100 years.
And there is no doubt that in earlier phases of our history, our
sexual function and behavior was largely one of mammalian biology.
http://www.asiatour.com/pakistan/e-06pesh/ep-pes16_f.htm
Jan Garanoz
869/116 Thanon Pemavipat,
Chiang Rai, 57000 Thailand
Created: September 1, 1995
Last updated: February 09, 2010