Jump to content

Hindu Kush

Coordinates: 35°N 71°E / 35°N 71°E / 35; 71
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.74.121.130 (talk) at 13:46, 10 January 2011 (→Nomenclature). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:IndicText Template:Geobox The Hindu Kush (the mountains of Hind[1]) is a 500-mile mountain range stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir (7,708 m or 25,289 ft) in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a sub-range of the Himalayas. It is also calculated to be the geographic center of population of the world.[2]

Nomenclature

The names Hindu Kush (Template:Lang-fa), Hindu Kūh (هِندوکوه) and Kūh-e Hind (کوهِ هِند) are usually applied to the fuzzy balls used in mr donoghu and mr A's humanities class and entire range separating the basins of the Kabul and Helmand rivers from that of the Amu River (ancient Oxus) or more specifically to that part of the range, northwest of the Afghan capital Kabul. Sanskrit documents refer to the Hindu Kush as Pāriyātra Parvata (पारियात्र पर्वत). Kush in Persian is from the verb 'Kushtan' which means to kill, to destroy etc which translates the mountain literally into "Hindu Killer." The name could be referring to the dead Hindu slaves that were transported through the mountains or it could just mean an attrition of the term "Hindu Koh" that separated the Hindu parts of Southern Afghanistan from the non-Hindu parts of Northern Afghanistan.[3] Greek historians/chroniclers adapted the Persian expression which was in vogue in that age and called this area "Paropanisadae". Hindu books in Sanskrit refer to this area as Pariyatra Mountains.

Thousands of years ago, ancient Iranians called this mountain range "upari saena" or "kof-i aparsen" (mountains that rise higher than birds can fly). It was called "Paropanisadae" by Greeks in the late first millennium BC.[4] Alexander the Great explored the Afghan areas between Bactria and the Indus River after his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BC. It became part of the Seleucid Empire before falling to the Hindu Maurya Empire around 305 BC.

Alexander took these away from the Aryans and established settlements of his own, but Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange 500 elephants.[5]

— Strabo, 64 BC–24 AD

Indo-Scythians expelled the Indo-Greeks by the mid 1st century BC, but lost the area to the Kushan Empire about 100 years later.[6] The name "Kush" is mentioned in the Bible (Old Testament), referring to the land east of Persia.[7] The word "Koh" or "Kuh" means mountain in many of the local languages. The name Hindu Kush is probably a corruption of Hindi-Kash or Hindi-Kesh, the boundary of Hind (i.e. Indian subcontinent).[1]

Before the Christian era, and afterwards, there was an intimate connection between the Kabul Valley and India. All the Passes of the Hindu-Kush descend into that valley; and travellers from the north as soon as they crossed the watershed, found a civilization and religion, the same as that much prevailed in India. The great range was the boundary in those days and barrier that was at time impassable. Hindu-Kuh--the mountain of Hind--was similarly derived.

Ibn Batuta, a scholar from Morrocco, visiting the area in the 14th century wrote:

Another reason for our halt was fear of the snow, for on the road there is a mountain called Hindukush, which means "Slayer of Indians," because the slave boys and girls who are brought from India die there in large numbers as a result of the extreme cold and the great quantity of snow. The passage extends for a whole day march. We stayed until the warm weather had definitely set in, and cross this mountain by a continuous march from before dawn to sunset.[8]

— Ibn Batuta, 1333

Mountains

The Hindu Kush occupy the lower left centre of this satellite image.

The mountains of the Hindu Kush system diminish in height as they stretch westward: Toward the middle, near Kabul, they extend from 4,500 to 6,000 meters (14,700 feet to 19,100 feet); in the west, they attain heights of 3,500 to 4,000 meters (11,500 feet to 13,000 feet). The average altitude of the Hindu Kush is 4,500 meters (14,700 feet). The Hindu Kush system stretches about 966 kilometres (600 miles) laterally, and its median north-south measurement is about 240 kilometres (150 miles). Only about 600 kilometres (370 miles) of the Hindu Kush system is called the Hindu Kush mountains. The rest of the system consists of numerous smaller mountain ranges including the Koh-e Baba, Salang, Koh-e Paghman, Spin Ghar (also called the eastern Safid Koh), Suleiman Range, Siah Koh, Koh-e Khwaja Mohammad and Selseleh-e Band-e Turkestan. The western Safid Koh, the Malmand, Chalap Dalan, Siah Band and Doshakh are commonly referred to as the Paropamise by western scholars, though that name has been slowly falling out of use over the last few decades.

Rivers that flow from the mountain system include the Helmand River, the Hari River and the Kabul River, watersheds for the Sistan Basin.

Numerous high passes ("kotal") transect the mountains, forming a strategically important network for the transit of caravans. The most important mountain pass is the Salang Pass (Kotal-e Salang) (3,878 m); it links Kabul and points south of it to northern Afghanistan. The completion of a tunnel within this pass in 1964 reduced travel time between Kabul and the north to a few hours. Previously access to the north through the Kotal-e Shibar (3,260 m) took three days. The Salang tunnel at 3,363 m and the extensive network of galleries on the approach roads were constructed with Soviet financial and technological assistance and involved drilling 1.7 miles through the heart of the Hindu Kush.

Before the Salang road was constructed, the most famous passes in the Western historical perceptions of Afghanistan were those leading to India. They include the Khyber Pass (1,027 m), in Pakistan, and the Kotal-e Lataband (2,499 m) east of Kabul, which was superseded in 1960 by a road constructed within the Kabul River's most spectacular gorge, the Tang-e Gharu. This remarkable engineering feat reduced travel time between Kabul and the Pakistan border from two days to a few hours.

  • Lataband Rd.

The roads through the Salang and Tang-e Gharu passes played critical strategic roles during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and were used extensively by heavy military vehicles. Consequently, these roads are in very bad repair. Many bombed out bridges have been repaired, but numbers of the larger structures remain broken. Periodic closures due to conflicts in the area seriously affect the economy and well-being of many regions, for these are major routes carrying commercial trade, emergency relief and reconstruction assistance supplies destined for all parts of the country.

There are a number of other important passes in Afghanistan. The Wakhjir Pass (4,923 m), proceeds from the Wakhan Corridor into Xinjiang, China, and into Northern Areas of Pakistan. Passes which join Afghanistan to Chitral, Pakistan, include the Baroghil (3,798 m) and the Kachin (5,639 m), which also cross from the Wakhan. Important passes located farther west are the Shotorgardan (3,720 m), linking Logar and Paktiya provinces; the Bazarak (2,713 m), leading into Mazari Sharif; the Khawak Pass (4,370 m) in the Panjsher Valley, and the Anjuman Pass (3,858 m) at the head of the Panjsher Valley giving entrance to the north. The Hajigak (2,713 m) and Unai (3,350 m) lead into the eastern Hazarajat and Bamyan Valley. The passes of the Paropamisus in the west are relatively low, averaging around 600 meters; the most well-known of these is the Sabzak between the Herat and Badghis provinces, which links the western and northwestern parts of Afghanistan.

These mountainous areas are mostly barren, or at the most sparsely sprinkled with trees and stunted bushes. Very ancient mines producing lapis lazuli are found in Kowkcheh Valley, while gem-grade emeralds are found north of Kabul in the valley of the Panjsher River and some of its tributaries. The famous 'balas rubies', or spinels, were mined until the 19th century in the valley of the Ab-e Panj or Upper Amu Darya River, considered to be the meeting place between the Hindu Kush and the Pamir ranges. These mines now appear to be exhausted.

Eastern Hindu Kush

The Eastern Hindu Kush range, also known as the High Hindu Kush range, is mostly located in northern Pakistan and the Nuristan and Badakhshan provinces of Afghanistan. The Chitral District of Pakistan is home to Tirich Mir, Noshaq, and Istoro Nal, the highest peaks in the Hindu Kush. The range also extends into Ghizar, Yasin Valley, and Ishkoman in Pakistan's Northern Areas.

Chitral is considered to be the pinnacle of the Hindu Kush region. The highest peaks, as well as countless passes and massive glaciers, are located in this region. The Chiantar, Kurambar, and Terich glaciers are amongst the most extensive in the Hindu Kush and the meltwater from these glaciers form the Kunar River, which eventually flows south into Afghanistan and joins the Bashgal, Panjsher, and eventually the much smaller Kabul River.

Military presence

After historical military presence since the time of Darius the Great, the recent Cold War caused the presence of Soviet and mujahideen fighters and then revolutionary Taliban. Currently Al Qaeda’s presence made the ISAF forces to shift their operation in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges.[9][10]

Pre Islamic tribes of the Hindu Kush

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Tate, George P. (2009). The Kingdom of Afghanistan: A Historical Sketch. BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 3. ISBN 1115584022. Retrieved 2010-11-05. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  2. ^ Claude Grasland and Malika Madelin, "The unequal distribution of population and wealth in the world", Population & Sociétés No. 368 (May 2001)
  3. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/afghanistan/cs-enviro.htm
  4. ^ Vogelsang, Willem (2002). The Afghans. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 1. ISBN 0631198415. Retrieved 2010-08-22. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  5. ^ Nancy Hatch Dupree / Aḥmad ʻAlī Kuhzād (1972). "An Historical Guide to Kabul - The Name". American International School of Kabul. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  6. ^ Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor (1987). E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. Vol. 2. BRILL. p. 159. ISBN 9004082654. Retrieved 2010-08-23. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Tyagi, Vidya Prakash (2009). Martial races of undivided India. Gyan Publishing House. p. 230. ISBN 8178357755. Retrieved 2010-10-24. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  8. ^ Travels in Asia and Africa, 1325-1354 (reprint, illustrated ed.). Routledge. 2004. p. 180. ISBN 0415344735. Retrieved 2010-09-10. {{cite book}}: |first1= missing |last1= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  9. ^ A Short March to the Hindu Kush, Alpinist 18.
  10. ^ "Alexander in the Hindu Kush". Livius. Articles on Ancient History. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  11. ^ Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Bidduph, published by Sang-e-Meel - Publications Page 38
  12. ^ Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Bidduph, published by Sang-e-Meel - Publications Page 7
  13. ^ a b Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Bidduph, published by Sang-e-Meel - Publications Page 9
  14. ^ Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Bidduph, published by Sang-e-Meel - Publications Page 11
  15. ^ a b Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Bidduph, published by Sang-e-Meel - Publications Page 12

Further reading

  • Drew, Frederic (1877). The Northern Barrier of India: A Popular Account of the Jammoo and Kashmir Territories with Illustrations. Frederic Drew. 1st edition: Edward Stanford, London. Reprint: Light & Life Publishers, Jammu, 1971
  • Gibb, H. A. R. (1929). Ibn Battūta: Travels in Asia and Africa, 1325–1354. Translated and selected by H. A. R. Gibb. Reprint: Asian Educational Services, New Delhi and Madras, 1992
  • Gordon, T. E. (1876). The Roof of the World: Being the Narrative of a Journey over the High Plateau of Tibet to the Russian Frontier and the Oxus Sources on Pamir. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. Reprint: Ch’eng Wen Publishing Company. Tapei, 1971
  • Leitner, Gottlieb Wilhelm (1890). Dardistan in 1866, 1886 and 1893: Being An Account of the History, Religions, Customs, Legends, Fables and Songs of Gilgit, Chilas, Kandia (Gabrial) Yasin, Chitral, Hunza, Nagyr and other parts of the Hindukush, as also a supplement to the second edition of The Hunza and Nagyr Handbook. And An Epitome of Part III of the author's 'The Languages and Races of Dardistan'. Reprint, 1978. Manjusri Publishing House, New Delhi. ISBN 8120612175
  • Newby, Eric. (1958). A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush. Secker, London. Reprint: Lonely Planet. ISBN 0864426048
  • Yule, Henry and Burnell, A. C. (1886). Hobson-Jobson: The Anglo-Indian Dictionary. 1996 reprint by Wordsworth Editions Ltd. ISBN 185326363X
  • A Country Study: Afghanistan, Library of Congress

35°N 71°E / 35°N 71°E / 35; 71

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Hindu_Kush&oldid=407068693"