Jalalabad (;
Dari
Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī ...
/ ps, جلالآباد, ) is the
fifth-largest city of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of
Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
. Jalalabad is located at the junction of the
Kabul River and the
Kunar River
The Kūnaṛ River ( ps, د کونړ سيند), also known in its upper reaches as the Mastuj ( ps, مستوج سين), Chitral ( khw, کونڑ سين; ur, دریائے کونڑ), or Kama River ( khw, کامې سين), is about long, located ...
in a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
to the south of the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
mountains.
It is linked by the
Kabul-Jalalabad Road to the west and
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, to the east through
Torkham
Torkham (; ps, , translit=tūrxam) is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connects Nangarhar province of A ...
and the
Khyber Pass.
Jalalabad is a leading center of social and trade activity because of its proximity with the Torkham
border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders ofte ...
and
border crossing
Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...
, away. Major industries include papermaking, as well as agricultural products including oranges, lemon, rice, and sugarcane, helped by its warm climate. It hosts Afghanistan's second largest educational institute,
Nangarhar University
Nangarhar University ( ps, د ننګرهار پوهنتون) is a government-funded higher learning institution in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. It is the second largest university in Afghanistan. It has 13 colleges and 15,385 students.
Nangarhar Uni ...
. For centuries the city has been favored by Afghan kings and it is a cultural significance in
Afghan poetry
Poetry of the modern-day region called Afghanistan has ancient roots, which is mostly written in Dari and Pashto. Afghan poetry relates to the culture of Afghanistan and is an element of Afghan literature.
History
The region called Afghanistan ...
.
During
Timur Shah's reign of the
Durrani Empire, Jalalabad served as the Afghan
winter capital
A summer capital is a city used as an administrative capital during extended periods of particularly hot summer weather. The term is mostly of relevance in historical contexts of political systems with ruling classes that would migrate to a summ ...
.
History
Ancient and medieval
Faxian
Faxian (法顯 ; 337 CE – c. 422 CE), also referred to as Fa-Hien, Fa-hsien and Sehi, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and translator who traveled by foot from China to India to acquire Buddhist texts. Starting his arduous journey about age 60, h ...
visited and worshiped the sacred Buddhist sites such as The Shadow of the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
in Nagarhara (modern Jalalabad). In 630 AD,
Xuan Zang, the famous
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
monk, visited Jalalabad, which he referred to as Adinapur; he also visited a number of other locations nearby. The city was a major center of
Greco-Buddhist culture in the past, with sites such as
Ahin Posh, until it was conquered by Ghaznavids in the 11th century AD. However, not everyone converted to
Islam at that period as some still refused to accept it. In ''
Hudud-al-Alam'', written in 982 AD, there is reference to a village near Jalalabad where the local king used to have many
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, Muslim and
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
wives.
![The Amir’s Garden, Jalālābād WDL11478](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/The_Amir%E2%80%99s_Garden%2C_Jal%C4%81l%C4%81b%C4%81d_WDL11478.png)
The region became part of the
Ghaznavid Empire
The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwes ...
in the 10th century.
Sabuktigin
Abu Mansur Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin ( fa, ابو منصور سبکتگین) ( 942 – August 997), also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 367 A.H/977 A.D to 3 ...
annexed the land all the way west of the
Neelum River
The Neelum River, or Kishanganga River, is a river in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. It originates in Bandipora district of northern Jammu and Kashmir in India, flows through the Neelam District of Pakistan's Azad Kashmir and then m ...
in Kashmir. "The Afghans and Khiljies who resided among the mountains having taken the oath of allegiance to Sabuktigin, many of them were enlisted in his army, after which he returned in triumph to
Ghazni
Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...
."
The
Ghurids
The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the ...
succeeded the Ghaznavids and expanded the Islamic empire further into Hindustan. The region around Jalalabad later became part of the
Khalji
The Khalji or Khilji (Pashto: ; Persian: ) dynasty was a Turco-Afghan dynasty which ruled the Delhi sultanate, covering large parts of the Indian subcontinent for nearly three decades between 1290 and 1320.[Timurids
The Timurid Empire ( chg, , fa, ), self-designated as Gurkani ( Chagatai: کورگن, ''Küregen''; fa, , ''Gūrkāniyān''), was a PersianateB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition, 2006 Turco-Mongol empire ...]
.
Modern
It is said that the original name of Jalalabad was Adinapur. Jalalabad was named in honour of Mughal ruler Jalal-uddin in the last decade of the sixteenth century, the grandson of
Babur. The modern city gained prominence during the reign of
Babur, founder of the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
. Babur had chosen the site for this city which was built by his grandson
Jalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar in 1560.
It remained part of the Mughal Empire until around 1738 when
Nader Shah and his
Afsharid forces began defeating the Mughals. Nader Shah's forces were accompanied by the young
Ahmad Shah Durrani and his 4,000-strong Afghan army from southern Afghanistan. In 1747, he founded the
Durrani Empire (Afghan Empire) after re-conquering the area. The Afghan army has long used the city while going back and forth during their military campaigns into the
Indian-subcontinent. It was under the brief control of the Marathas under
Tukojirao Holkar
Tukoji Rao Holkar (26 June 1723 – 15 August 1797), belonging to the Holkar clan of the Marathas was the feudatory of Indore (r. 1795–1797). Tukoji Holkar was the adopted son of Malhar Rao Holkar, he was the second son of Shrimant Tan ...
, who defeated Jahan Khan.
The British-Indian forces invaded Jalalabad in 1838, during the
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession d ...
. In the 1842
Battle of Jellalabad,
Akbar Khan besieged the
British troops
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas ...
on their way to Jalalabad. In 1878, during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...
, 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
Pashtun culture ( ps, پښتون کلتور ) is based on Pashtunwali, as well as speaking of the Pashto language and wearing Pashtun dress. Culture is native to the native Pashtun belt of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pashtunwali and Islam are the ...
. Seraj-ul-Emarat, the residence of Amir
Habibullah and King
Amanullah Amanullah or Amanallah is a male Muslim given name ( ar , أمان الله ) meaning the trust or protection of God. It may refer to:
*Amānullāh Khān (1892–1960), ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929
* Amanullah Khan (disambiguation), seve ...
was destroyed in 1929 when
Habibullah Kalakani Habibullah also spelled Habib Ullah, Habibollah, Habeeb-Allah etc. ( ar, حَبِيْبَُ ٱلله), is a male Muslim given name meaning in ''Beloved of God'', stemming from the male form of the name Habib. It may refer to:
People
*Raja Sir C ...
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. The
Sulemankhils, a Pashtun family famous for their
scientific research
The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...
, is from Jalalabad. Other celebrated Pashtun families originate from the villages near Jalalabad too.
In the 1960s and 1970s construction started on a new
planned city
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
called Reg-e Shamshad Khan.
From 1978 to early 1990s, the city served as a strategic location for the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
-backed
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. In March 1989, two
Mujahideen rebel factions backed by Pakistan and the U.S. assaulted the city during the
Battle of Jalalabad. However
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
forces managed to drive them out within two months, which was a major setback to the resistance fighters and the ISI. The city was heavily bombarded and hundreds of
civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...
s were killed. Many buildings, such as schools, hospitals and public buildings were destroyed during the 2-month battle.
![Aerial view of Jalalabad in 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Aerial_view_of_Jalalabad_in_2012.jpg)
After the resignation of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Najibullah, Jalalabad quickly fell to mujahideen rebels of
Yunus Khalis
Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis (alternate spellings Yunis and Younas) ( ps, محمد يونس خالص; c. 1919 – 19 July 2006) was a mujahideen commander in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. His party was called Hezb-i-Islami ("Isla ...
on April 19, 1992. On September 12, 1996, the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
took control of the city until they were toppled by the US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
Al-Qaeda had been building
terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
training camps in Jalalabad. The city returned to Afghan government control under
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
.
The
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
of Jalalabad gradually increased in the last decade. Many of the city's population began joining the
Afghan National Security Forces. Construction has also increased. The
Jalalabad Airport
, nativename-r =
, image = Nangarhar Airport.jpg
, caption = View of the airport's control tower in 2008
, IATA = JAA
, ICAO = OAJL
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan
, pushpi ...
has long served as a
military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
for the
NATO forces. In 2011, the
U.S. Embassy in Kabul announced that it plans to establish a
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...
in Jalalabad. In March 2007, US marines murdered 19 unarmed civilians and wounded 50 near Jalalabad, in an incident compared by the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
to the
Haditha massacre
The Haditha massacre (also called the Haditha killings or the Haditha incident) was a series of killings on November 19, 2005, in which a group of United States Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians. The killings occurred in Haditha, a cit ...
. None of those responsible received any serious punishment. Many
suicide attacks by
jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
insurgents have taken place, including in
August 2013,
April 2015,
January 2018,
July 2018,
September 2018,
October 2019 and
August 2020. The groups responsible for the attacks include the Taliban,
Haqqani Network
The Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist group, built around the family of the same name, that has used asymmetric warfare in Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and US-led NATO forces and the Islamic Republic of Afghanist ...
, al-Qaeda, and
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
(Daesh).
On August 15, 2021, the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
again took control of the city. Its capture cut off the last highway from
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
to the outside world, and the
city fell later the same day. Three days later on August 18, protestors took down the Afghan Taliban flag and replaced it with a tricolor flag of the previous
Afghan government
The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is a theocracy and an emirate with political powe ...
.
Demographics
The city population is estimated to be 280,685 in year 2021.
It has six districts and a total land area of . The total number of dwellings in this city is 39,586.
Nearly all residents of Jalalabad are
Muslim, followers of
Sunni Islam. Jalalabad is also a center of the country's
Sikhs, although the community has dwindled in the city (and nationwide) since the wars began. Similarly it is also has a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
minority.
Land use
Jalalabad is the regional hub in eastern Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan. Agriculture is the predominant land use at 44%, higher density of dwellings is found in Districts 1-5 and vacant plots are largely clustered in District 6. Districts 1-6 all have a grid network of roads.
Climate
![Jalalabad, Afghanistan (5397994701)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Jalalabad%2C_Afghanistan_%285397994701%29.jpg)
Jalalabad's climate is
hot desert (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: BWh), and it is one of the hottest localities in Afghanistan. The city's climate has close resemblance to that of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It receives six to eight inches (152 to 203 mm) of rainfall per annum which are limited to winter and the months of spring. Frosts are not common, and during the summer, the temperature can reach a maximum of 120 °F (49 °C).
[Michel, p. 30]
The north and southwestern parts of the city which has lower elevation are welcoming places to winds from the north and west cooling the parts in summer months. Jalalabad has the highest relative humidity in summer compared to other Afghan cities. However the moderate temperatures of winter has led to various people down the history establishing their settlements in the city.
Because of its warm temperature relative to most of Afghanistan, Jalalabad (alongside
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
) was often the "
winter capital
A summer capital is a city used as an administrative capital during extended periods of particularly hot summer weather. The term is mostly of relevance in historical contexts of political systems with ruling classes that would migrate to a summ ...
" of various Afghan rulers of the past centuries,
while rich people would relocate to villas in Jalalabad to avoid the freezing temperatures in
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
.
Flora and fauna
Jalalabad is home to a large number of fruits. Various types of citrus fruits like
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
,
tangerine
The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in color. Its scientific name varies. It has been treated as a separate species under the name ''Citrus tangerina'' or ''Citrus'' × ''tangerina'', or treated as a variety of ''Citrus retic ...
,
grapefruit,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
grow in gardens as well as in orchards.
The orange trees yield a crop only once in three years. The ''narindj'' variety of orange is the most common one which has yellow skin and its taste is a combination of orange and grapefruit. The grapefruits grown here have a diameter of eight or nine inches. Per year 1800 tonnes of pomegranates, 334 tones of grapes, and 7750 tones of mulberries are produced in Jalalabad. The fruits are either sold in local markets or transported to
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
markets from where they are exported. The second most common crop is local ''vatani'' variety of sugarcane. It contains 15% sugar by weight. Jalalabad also has the largest
date farm in Afghanistan.
Transportation
![Jalalabad street with rickshaws](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Jalalabad_street_with_rickshaws.jpg)
The
Jalalabad Airport
, nativename-r =
, image = Nangarhar Airport.jpg
, caption = View of the airport's control tower in 2008
, IATA = JAA
, ICAO = OAJL
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan
, pushpi ...
(also known as Nangarhar Airport) is located roughly southeast from the city's center. It is a
domestic airport for civilian use. It serves the population of Nangarhar and neighboring provinces.
There are proposals for the establishment of
Afghanistan's rail network linking Jalalabad with
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servi ...
, allowing for increased trade of goods, people and commerce between the two countries.
Jalalabad is connected by main roads with the Afghan capital of Kabul, the city of Peshawar in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
, Pakistan, and several nearby Afghan cities and towns. All trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan passes through this city. The highway between Jalalabad and Kabul was resurfaced in 2006, reducing the transit time between these two important cities. This highway is considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world because of the large number of accidents. 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 tourists and allow for safer passage of goods between to the two countries.
General places of interest
The
Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium
Ghāzī Amānullāh International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad ( ps, د غازي امان الله نړيوال کرکټ لوبغالی) is an international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the heart of Ghazi Amanullah Town, ...
is next to the
Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town
Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town ( ps, غازي امان الله خان ښارګوټی) is a planned community located next to the Kabul–Jalalabad Road roughly southeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan.
The town is named after A ...
, which is about of driving distance southeast of Jalalabad. The people of Jalalabad go there not only for sports purposes but also for enjoyment and relaxation. This is especially during holidays or when they receive visiting family or friends from another place. It is also a popular hangout for those with cars.
![Mausoleum of Amanullah Khan-cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Mausoleum_of_Amanullah_Khan-cropped.jpg)
*Hotels
** Spinghar Hotel
** Sultan Hotel and Restaurant
** White House Hotel
* Mosques
** Akhunzada Mosque
** Spin Mosque
* Parks
** Abdul Haq Park (located next to the city's main stadiums)
** Amir Habibullah Khan Park (across the street from Siraj-ul-Emarat Park)
** Aryan Park (located in the southwestern section of the city)
** Farm Hada Park (located in southern part of the city)
** Siraj-ul-Emarat Park (located next next to House of Governor)
* Mausoleums
** Mausoleum of King
Amanullah Khan
Ghazi Amanullah Khan ( Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...
(Siraj-ul-Emarat Park)
** Mausoleum of
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Abdul Ghaffār Khān (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan (), and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan (), was a Pakistani Pashtun, independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar ...
** Mausoleum of
Mohammad Gul Khan Momand
* Hospitals
** Al Shifa Modern Hospital
** Bakhtar Hospital
** Baidara Hospital
** Hassanzai Curative Hospital
** Jalalabad Regional Hospital
** Jalalabad Medical Complex
** Khair-un-Nisa Medical Complex
** Spingha Momand Hospital
** Malalai Curative Hospital
** Nangarhar Teaching Hospital
** Naseri Hospital
** Rokhan Hospital
* Universities
**
Alfalah University
**
Ariana University
Ariana University ( ps, د آریانا پوهنتون; fa, پوهنتون آریانا), also known as Ariana Institute of Higher Education ( ps, آریانا د لوړو زده کړو موسسه; fa, مؤسسه تحصیلات عالی آری ...
**
Khurasan University
Khurasan University ( ps, خراسان پوهنتون) is a private university based in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. It was founded in 2006 and registered as a private university in 2007. It offers bachelors and diploma programs in Business Adminis ...
**
Nangarhar University
Nangarhar University ( ps, د ننګرهار پوهنتون) is a government-funded higher learning institution in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. It is the second largest university in Afghanistan. It has 13 colleges and 15,385 students.
Nangarhar Uni ...
**
Spinghar Higher Education Centre
Spinghar Higher Education Institute ( ps, سپین غر د لوړو زدکړو موسسه), was registered as a private higher education institute on May 20, 2009, in the city of Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan with ministry of highe ...
* Shopping centers
** Hejaz Super Market
** Jada Super Store
** Nakamura Super Store
Sports
![Jalalabad stadium in June 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Jalalabad_stadium_in_June_2011.jpg)
The province is represented in domestic cricket competitions by the Nangarhar province cricket team. National team member Hamid Hasan was born in the province and he currently represents Afghanistan in international cricket. The
Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium
Ghāzī Amānullāh International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad ( ps, د غازي امان الله نړيوال کرکټ لوبغالی) is an international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the heart of Ghazi Amanullah Town, ...
is the first international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the
Ghazi Amanullah Town
Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town ( ps, غازي امان الله خان ښارګوټی) is a planned community located next to the Kabul–Jalalabad Road roughly southeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan.
The town is named after Am ...
, a modern suburb on the southeastern fringe of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province. Construction on the stadium began in March 2010 when the foundation stone was laid by Minister of Finance and president of the
Afghanistan Cricket Board, Omar Zakhilwal. The project, which was developed on 30 acres of land donated by the developer constructing the Ghazi Amanullah Town, cost up the first phase of construction $1.8 million. The first phase, which took one year to complete, included the completion of the stadium itself. The remainder of the phases will see the construction of a pavilion, accommodation for players and administrative buildings. The stadium, which has a capacity of 14,000, was completed before the national team and under-19 team left for Canada and the Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland respectively. The two sides inaugurated the stadium in a
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
match. It is hoped that the stadium will be able to attract international teams to play Afghanistan, who currently have One Day International status until at least 2013.
;Professional sports teams from Jalalabad
;Stadiums
**
Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium
Ghāzī Amānullāh International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad ( ps, د غازي امان الله نړيوال کرکټ لوبغالی) is an international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the heart of Ghazi Amanullah Town, ...
(around southeast from Jalalabad, next to Ghazi Amanullah Town)
** Nangarhar Football Stadium (next to Abdul Haq Park and House of Governor)
** Behsud Cricket Stadium (next to Abdul Haq Park and House of Governor)
International sister cities
*
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Notable people
*
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan Arman ( ps, ; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and a former captain of the national team. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Austra ...
, cricketer
*
Amanullah Khan
Ghazi Amanullah Khan ( Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...
, Emir and King of Afghanistan (1919–1929), buried in the city
*
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Abdul Ghaffār Khān (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan (), and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan (), was a Pakistani Pashtun, independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar ...
, buried in the city
*
Mohammad Gul Khan Momand, buried in the city
*
Tetsu Nakamura
, also known as Kaka Murad (Pashto: , transl. "Uncle Nakamura"), (15 September 1946 – 4 December 2019), was a Japanese physician and honorary Afghan citizen who headed Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), an aid group known as ''Peshawar-kai'' ...
, lived and died in the city
See also
*
List of cities in Afghanistan
The only city in Afghanistan with over 1 million people is its capital, Kabul. The rest are smaller cities and towns. According to the National Statistic and Information Authority of Afghanistan (NSIA), an estimated total number of people liv ...
References
Further reading
Published in the 19th century
*
Published in the 20th century
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Nangarhar Province
Populated places along the Silk Road
Buddhism in Afghanistan
History of Nangarhar Province
Populated places established in 1570
Provincial capitals in Afghanistan