Hindu Kush
Range
Mountains of Afghanistan
Countries	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region	Northern Areas
Part of	Himalaya
Highest point	Tirich Mir
- elevation	7,690 m (25,230 ft)
- coordinates	36°14′45″N 71°50′38″E / 36.24583, 71.84389

The Hindu Kush is a mountain range located between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Northern Areas ( Urdu:,) is officially referred to by the government of Pakistan as the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA Tirich Mir (alternatively Terich Mir and Terichmir) is the highest Mountain in the Hindu Kush region of northern Pakistan. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a sub-range of the Himalayas. The Pamir Mountains are located in Central Asia and are formed by the junction or Knot of the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Karakoram is a mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, China, and India, located in the regions of Gilgit, Ladakh, and A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys It is also the center of population of the world. In Demographics, the center of population of a region is the geographical point nearest to all the inhabitants of that region on average "The world " is a proper noun for the planet Earth envisioned from an Anthropocentric or Human Worldview, as a place ^[1]

Nomenclature

The name Hindu Kush is usually applied to the whole of the range separating the basins of the Kabul, and Helmand rivers from that of the Amu Darya (or ancient Oxus), or more specifically, to that part of the range to the northwest of Kabul. Kabul River (or Kabal River;) classically called the Cophes (ˈkoʊˌfiːz is a river that rises in the Sanglakh Range in Afghanistan, separated The Helmand River (also spelled Helmend Helmund Hirmand; Pashto: fa هیرمند هلمند fa-Latn Hīrmand Helmand, Latin: The Amu Darya (formerly Oxus River the Greeks (Ptolemeus called it Oxiana palus) is the longest river in Central Asia. } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with

Sanskrit

Sanskrit documents refer to the Hindu Kush as Pāriyatra Parvat . Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical

Persian

In some of the Iranian languages that are still spoken in the region many peaks, mountains, and related places in the region have "Kosh" or "Kush" in their names. The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily Indo-Iranian. In the Persian language of the Sassanian period, Hindu referred to any inhabitant of the Indus River, or Hind, rather than to followers of Hinduism as it does now. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The name is also said to be a corruption of Hindu Koh, from the (modern) Persian word Kuh, meaning mountain. James Rennell, writing in 1793, referred to the range as the "Hindoo-Kho or Hindoo-Kush"^[2].

"The same hindu- 'mountain' [in Scythian or Saka languages] is in the name Hindǚ-kuš, where the kuš means 'side, region' connected with Chr. Sogd. qwšy 'side' with -ti- Armenian Parthian k'oušt 'side, region' . . . . Old Indian has both koṣa- and kośa-. . . . The legend of Hindukuš meaning 'slaying Hindus' is assigned to an event a hundred years after Bābur's mention of the name. " ^[3]

Ibn Batuta on the term Hindu Kush

Folk etymology

There are others who consider this origin to be false and put forward alternate possibilities for its origin, although these are usually considered to be folk etymology:

• The origin of the term "Hindu Kush" is a point of contention. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. The folk etymological explanations range from 'killer of Hindu' to the 'throne of Hindu'.
• that the name is a corruption of Caucasus Indicus, a name by which the Hindu Kush range was known in the ancient Western world after its conquest by Alexander the Great in the Fourth Century BC. The Hindu Kush is a Mountain range located between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Greek rule in the Hindu Kush region lasted over three centuries, and was followed by the rule of a dynasty known, significantly, as the Kushan. The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250 In its early period, the Kushan Empire had its capital near modern-day Kabul. } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with Later, when the Hindu Kush region became part of the Sassanian Empire, it was ruled by a satrap known as the Kushan-shah (ruler of Kushan). The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire See also the related deity Satrapes. Satrap (Persian ساتراپ was the name given to the governors of the Provinces of ancient
• that the name refers to the last great 'killer' mountains to cross when moving between the Iranian plateau and the Indian subcontinent, named after the toll it took on anyone crossing them. The Iranian Plateau, also known as the Persian plateau is a Geological formation in Southwest Asia, Southern This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia.
• that the name is a posited Avestan appellation meaning "water mountains. Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. "
• that the name is a corruption of Hind-o Kushan, containing the name of the Kushan dynasty that once ruled this region for more than three centuries. The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250

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; in the west, they attain heights of 3,500 to 4,000 meters. } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with The average altitude of the Hindu Kush is 4,500 meters. The Hindu Kush system stretches about 966 kilometres laterally, and its median north-south measurement is about 240 kilometres. Only about 600 kilometres 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 Sulaiman Mountains ( Persian, Urdu: سليمان are a major geological feature of Pakistan and one of the bordering ranges between the Iranian The western Safid Koh, the Malmand, Chalap Dalan, Siah Band and Doshakh are commonly referred to as the Paropamisus by western scholars, though that name has been slowly falling out of use over the last few decades. Paropamisadae (ˌpærəˌpæmɨˈseɪdiː Παροπαμισάδαι) or Paropamisus (ˌpærəˈpeɪmɨs Παροπαμισσός) was the ancient

Rivers that flow from the mountain system include the Helmand River, the Hari River and the Kabul River, watersheds for the Sistan Basin. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there The Helmand River (also spelled Helmend Helmund Hirmand; Pashto: fa هیرمند هلمند fa-Latn Hīrmand Helmand, Latin: The Hari River (Persian Rudkhaneh-ye Hari Rud sometimes Harirud) is a River flowing 1100 kilometers from the mountains of central Afghanistan Kabul River (or Kabal River;) classically called the Cophes (ˈkoʊˌfiːz is a river that rises in the Sanglakh Range in Afghanistan, separated The Sistan Basin is an inland Endorheic basin encompassing large parts of south-western Afghanistan and south-eastern Iran, one of the driest regions in

Numerous high passes ("kotal") transect the mountains, forming a strategically important network for the transit of caravans. The most important mountain pass is the Kotal-e Salang (3,878 m); it links Kabul and points south to northern Afghanistan. In a range of hills or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch, Kotal-e Salang or Salang Pass (el 3878 m is the major Mountain pass connecting northern Afghanistan and Kabul province, with further connections } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with 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. The Salang tunnel is a link between northern and southern Afghanistan crossing the Hindukush mountain range The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 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 the Indian subcontinent. 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. The Khyber Pass, (also spelled Khaiber or Khaybar (درہ خیبر (altitude  m   ft is the Mountain pass that links Pakistan and Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Kabul River (or Kabal River;) classically called the Cophes (ˈkoʊˌfiːz is a river that rises in the Sanglakh Range in Afghanistan, separated This remarkable engineering feat reduced travel time between Kabul and the Pakistan border from two days to a few hours. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and

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. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U 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. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Wakhjir (4,923 m), proceeds from the Wakhan Corridor into Xinjiang, China, and into Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Wakhan Corridor or Wakhan Salient is a narrow (in some places less than 10 miles wide Corridor in the Wakhan in the Badakhshan province Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Northern Areas ( Urdu:,) is officially referred to by the government of Pakistan as the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and 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. Chitral or Chatrāl (چترال is basically translated into "field" in the native language Khowar. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Broghol, also spelled Boroghil and several other ways (el 3798 m 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 (3,858 m) at the head of the Panjsher Valley giving entrance to the north. Logar may refer to Logar Province Logar River Bazarak may refer to Bazarak Panjshir, Afghanistan Bazarak Balkh, Afghanistan Bazarak Nangarhar, Afghanistan Mazār-e Sharīf ( is the fourth largest city of Afghanistan, with population of 300600 people (2006 estimate Khawak Pass (el 3848 m or 12625 ft is the route heading to the northwest from near the head of the Panjshir Valley through the formidable Hindu Kush range to The Panjshir Valley, also spelled Panjsher Valley ( - Dara-ye Panjšēr; literally Valley of the Five Lions) is a Valley in north-central The Hajigak (2,713 m) and Unai (3,350 m) lead into the eastern Hazarajat and Bamyan Valley. The Hajigak Pass ( Hajji gak "little pilgrim" is situated at a height of 3700 above sea-level and is one of the two main routes from Kabul Unaí is a City and Municipality in northern Minas Gerais state Brazil. Hazarajat, also known as Hazaristan, is the name given to a region in central Afghanistan that makes up the native homeland of Afghanistan's Hazara 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. area3018 sq mi Herāt ( classically called the Aria, is a city in western Afghanistan, in the province also known as Herāt. Badghis ( بادغیس) is one of the thirty-four Provinces 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. Emeralds are a variety of the Mineral Beryl (Be3Al2(SiO36 colored Green by trace amounts 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. The spinels are any of a class of Minerals of general formulation XY2 O 4 which Crystallize in the cubic (isometric 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. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Nuristān (Pashto نورستان also spelled Nurestān) is a region embedded in the south of Hindu Kush valleys Badakhshan ( Tajik: Бадахшон is a region comprising parts of northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Chitral District of Pakistan is home to Tirich Mir, Noshaq, and Istoro Nal, the highest peaks in the Hindu Kush. Chitral is a district in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan that contains the town of Chitral. Tirich Mir (alternatively Terich Mir and Terichmir) is the highest Mountain in the Hindu Kush region of northern Pakistan. Noshaq (or Nowshak) is the highest Mountain in Afghanistan and the second highest independent peak of the Hindu Kush after Tirich Mir Istor-o-Nal is the third highest mountain in the Hindu Kush, in the Chitral district of the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. The range also extends into Ghizar, Yasin Valley, and Ishkoman in Pakistan's Northern Areas. The Yasin Valley is a high mountain Valley in the Hindu Kush mountains in the northwest region of Gilgit in the Northern Areas of Pakistan Ishkoman is a high mountain valley in the Himalaya mountains in the northwest region of Gilgit in the Northern Areas of Pakistan

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. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. The Kunar River ( Kunar Rud) is about 480 km long located in eastern Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan. Kabul River (or Kabal River;) classically called the Cophes (ˈkoʊˌfiːz is a river that rises in the Sanglakh Range in Afghanistan, separated

The jazz musician Katie Melua wrote a song called "Halfway Up the Hindu Kush", probably because in the 1960s and 70s Afghanistan was depicted in the media as the romantic haven of nomads and a resort for hashish-smoking hippies.

Military Presence

After historical military presence since the Alexander the Great time, the recent Cold War made a presence of Soviet and mujahideen fighters and then revolutionary Taliban. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. A Mujahid (Arabic ar مجاهد, literally "struggler" is a Muslim involved in a Jihad, id est fighting in a war or A revolutionary when used as a noun is a person who either actively engages in some kind of Revolution, or advocates the revolution with recognition from some government or The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Currently Al Qaeda’s presence made the U.S. forces to shift their operation in the Hindu Kush mountain ranges. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[5][6]

Pre Islamic Tribes of the Hindu Kush

• Shins
• Yeshkun^[7]
• Chiliss
• Neemchas^[8]
• Koli^[9]
• Palus^[10]
• Gaware^[11]
• Yeshkuns^[12]
• Krammins^[13]

See also

• Hindu Temples of Kabul
• Hinduism in Afghanistan
• Geography of Afghanistan
• Geography of Pakistan
• List of mountain ranges
• List of highest mountains (a list of mountains above 7,200m)
• Mount Imeon

References

Further reading

• Frederic Drew (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.
• T. E. Gordon (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.
• Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (1890). Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, or Gottlieb William Leitner MAPhDLL 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
• 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. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress
• 'Halfway up the Hindu Kush' a song by Katie Melua on her second album "Piece by Piece". Piece by Piece is the second Album by UK Jazz and blues singer Katie Melua, released in 2005 (see 2005 in music)

External links

• Northern Areas Development Gateway