The+Khyber+Pass

= The **Khyber Pass- No ordinary road** =



The Khyber Pass is a road that winds through the Safed Koh mountains, which are a part of the Hindu Kush range, on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it is approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) long, it has an altitude of over 3,500 feet (1,070 meters). The pass has many routes going through it that lead to different cities, in escence these routes connect these Afghanian cities together, the three cities that are linked by the Khyber Pass are Peshawar, Pakistan, and Kabul. The pass has been used for centuries for various purposes such as trade, travel, and military tactics. Many old time eastern leaders used the Khyber Pass to invade India. The pass also played a key role in the Afghan Wars fought by the British in the 19th century allowing them easy passage to Afghan cities, these wars were known as the Anglo-Afghan Wars. The Khyber Pass now has an asphalt road and an old caravan route. A railroad was built between 1920-1925, it passes through 34 tunnels and more than 92 bridges and culverts, and runs to the Afghan border. The Khyber Pass has been closed a few times in its history due to military related reasons, the most recent time being in January of 2009. Pakistan is currently in control of the entire pass.



The Khyber Pass relates to __The Kite Runner__ by being a location in the book that Amir has to travel through to get to his destination in Afghanistan. The Khyber Pass has a history of violence, as indicated by the picture above, with the armed men. Also, in the book, when Amir sees the sign "THE KHYBER PASS WELCOMES YOU" he describes it as "bullet-riddled", indicating that there are bullet holes in the sign. On the pass there are bandits who wait for travelers or tourists to come by so that they can rob them of any valuable items. In the book, Farid's brother, Wahid, describes these bandits as //"Dozds".//

Sources: -http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/01/khyber_pass_closed_i.php -http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-khyber-pass-a-history-of-empire-and-invasion-by-paddy-docherty-447465.html -//The Kite Runner//