The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is an ancient state located in the southwest of Central Asia, the modern name of which was given in the 19th century. In Afghanistan, mountains occupy most of the territory and include high ridges and valleys located between them.
Geographical position
The territory of Afghanistan is located in the north-east of the Iranian Highlands, in which the Hindu Kush is the main massive ridge. Its height in some places reaches 5 km, and the Vakhan ridge rises to a height of more than 6 km.
The highest mountain in Afghanistan is located on the border with Pakistan - this is Naushak, numbering 7485 m above sea level. A significant part of the mountain range is covered with ice, there are various types of glaciers.
Climate, soil and natural resources
The climate of Afghanistan is distinguished by pronounced verticality, ranging from semi-desert regions and steppes to foothills and valleys, as well as high-mountainous cold deserts. The difference in air temperature between the mountains and lowlands contributes to the formation of strong winds.
The main source of food for large rivers in Afghanistan is meltwater descending from mountain glaciers. In spring and summer, floods occur. Most of the water is diverted to irrigate the fields, so in the second half of summer the rivers become shallow. The rivers Kabul and Gerurid, feeding from the Hindu Kush glaciers, have many tributaries.
Hydro dams have been built on many rivers, forming artificial reservoirs. Soils on the mountain slopes are mountain meadow and chernozem. On the lower slopes, shrubs and woodlands, groves of pistachios, rose hips and wild almonds grow. Higher vegetation is more scarce, however, in spring, the valleys and slopes of the mountains of Afghanistan, photos of which you can see in the article, are covered with flowers and look very picturesque.
In the Indo-Himalayan region, at an altitude of up to 1.5 km, steppe zones alternate with forests of palm trees, acacia, figs, and deciduous forests are located above.
What mountains in Afghanistan
Through most of the country’s territory, mountain ranges run in several directions, mainly from the northeast to the southwest. The average height is 1.2 km. In the center and in the northeast there is a mountain plateau about 1.8 km high, the main part of which is the Hindu Kush. From different sides the plateau descends to the lowlands, except for the eastern ones, where the ridge passes into the Pamir Mountains.
To the west of the Hindu Kush lies the inaccessible highlands of Khazarajat (3-4 km high), where, due to constant weathering, the rocks undergo severe destruction. Along the slopes of the highlands are large clusters of crumbling debris - damans.
To the west of Khazarajat, the ridges of the Paropamiz mountains diverge. These include: Safedkokh and Siahkokh, separated by the valley of the Gerirud River.
In the north-east of the country, on the left bank of the Amu Darya, is the mountainous region of Badakhshan. It consists of high mountain ranges, between which there are valleys. It is very cold in the winter months, the passes are covered with a thick layer of snow, and small rivers are covered with ice.
To the east of Badakhshan is the Bakhan region, consisting of 2 high-mountain valleys that feed from the Panj river system and are surrounded by high mountains.
Mountains in Afghanistan: names
The most famous names of the Afghan mountains:
- Baba - one of the Hindu Kush ridges in the center of the country, up to 5 km high, is a watershed in which the sources of Afghan rivers are located.
- The Vakhan Range is a mountain in the south of the Pamirs 160 km long, 5-6.2 km high.
- Hindu Kush is a large mountain system passing through the countries of Central Asia, the northern part is located in Afghanistan.
- Noshak is the highest mountain in Afghanistan, located in the north-east of the country, the second highest in the Hindu Kush system and 52nd in the world.
- Safedkokh - the mountain range of Paropamiz, located on the border with Pakistan, the length is more than 400 km, the height is up to 4.1 km.
- Siahkokh - Black Mountains in Afghanistan, in the south of Paropomiz, their length is about 200 km, their height reaches 3.3 km, they consist of shale and sandstone.
- The Pamir (in the lane with the Iranian “roof of the world”) is a large mountain system in the southern part of Central Asia, which passes through Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan and India.
- Mid-Afghan mountains - located in the east of the Iranian Highlands, in the river basins. Gerirud and Farahrud, the length of 600 km, the maximum height of 4.1 km (Haysar Range), are represented by medium-high desertified mountain ranges.
- Suleyman mountains - geographically located in parts of Pakistan and in the Afghan province of Zabul, south of the Hindu Kush.
Mountain passes of Afghanistan
The transition through the high mountain ranges in the country is carried out only through 3 main passes that have existed as transport arteries for more than a century:
- Barogil - located in the Hindu Kush on the way from the mountains of Afghanistan (photo above) to western Pakistan, is located at an altitude of 3.8 km, is one of the most accessible.
- Pass Salang Tunnel, built by Soviet troops in the Hindu Kush mountains in the 1960s, connects the north and south of the country, the highest road in the world (more than 4 km) passes here.
- Khybersky - is located in the Safedkokh mountains at an altitude of 1.03 km, on the border with Pakistan, an ancient trade route.
- South Wahjirdawan - located in the Pamir mountains in the east of the Vakhan corridor, on the border with China, 4.9 km in height.
History: Summary
The passes located on the Hindu Kush mountain ranges have been of great strategic importance since ancient times. It was through them that the army of Alexander the Great was transported during the transition to Asia in 329 BC. e. Historians have suggested that troops moved across the Hawak Pass to crush the uprising in the state of Bactria, then the eastern province of the Persian Empire.
After this territory was captured by the troops of A. the Great and the first settlements appeared in the mountains of Afghanistan more than 3 thousand years ago, more precisely in 330 years BC. e. After the death of the emperor, the lands passed into the possession of the state of the Seleucids.
In the I-II centuries, Buddhism spread here, which came from the Muariev empire: monasteries appeared. From the 7th century the territory went to the principality of Kabul Shahi, and in the IX century. Islam was brought here during the reign of the Saffarids, which radically changed the local life. In the XVI century, the territory of Afghanistan was captured by the Great Mongol Empire.
The first united state was Durrani, which was founded in the middle of the XVIII century. military Ahmad Shah of Durrani, but then it fell apart into separate principalities. In the following centuries, the territory of Afghanistan served as an arena of struggle and war between the British and Russian empires, which ended in 1919 with independence.
During the 20th century, coups, revolutions and wars took place in the country. In 1978, the DRA (Democratic Republic of Afghanistan) was proclaimed and a civil war broke out in which the Soviet Union intervened by introducing its troops. They were withdrawn only in 1989, but the civil war continued. The Taliban came to power, declaring their goal to build an Islamic state.
In 2002, after the operations of the US troops, the Taliban regime was liquidated, and then the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was proclaimed.
Hindu Kush: ranges and location
The chain of high inaccessible Hindu Kush mountains (translated from Persian as “Indian mountain”) extends for a length of 800 km and a width of 350 km. It originates in the north-eastern part of the Pamirs, where the border between Pakistan and China passes. Next is through Pakistan and western Afghanistan. The mountains are located in the watershed of the basins of large river systems - the Amu Darya and the Indus.
The main mountain ranges are Baba, Pagman and Hindu Kush. On the territory of Afghanistan, the western part of the ridge is notable for its small height (3.5-4 km). The highest places - Central Hindu Kush (up to 6 km) - are located northeast of Kabul (the state capital).
The geological structure is represented by a complex fragmented horst antilinorium located within the Alpine geosynclinal region of the folded type. Structurally, the mountains consist of ancient metamorphic rocks and granites.
Vegetation is very scarce due to lack of rainfall. The subsoil is rich in coal, iron and ores of polymetals, there are deposits of sulfur, lapis lazuli, graphite and gold ores.
Hindu Kush rivers and landscape
Mountain rivers descend down the Hindu Kush, they feed on snows and glaciers and are distinguished by floods in the spring and summer.
The landscapes of the mountains of Afghanistan and the height vary greatly and depend on the climatic zone:
- In the north - slopes with tall grass and pistachio on gray earth soil.
- In the center there are bushes, juniper thickets, soils - mountain and red-brown.
- The upper part of the mountains is occupied by the dry steppe and desert vegetation of the Tibetan species, soils - low humus serozem.
- The slopes of the southeast are more humidified, they have dry forests and shrubs growing on brown subtropical soils.
- Above 2.5 km, the mountains are covered with broad-leaved forests of Himalayan tree species (evergreen oaks, etc.), coniferous species at an altitude of 3.3 km, then you can find creeping juniper and rhododendron.
- The upper zone of the mountains belongs to meadows of alpine cereals.
Of the animals in the Hindu Kush there are snow leopards, wolves, leopards, mountain goats (as well as bezoarless), etc.
Alpine lakes
In the middle of the mountains of Afghanistan at an altitude of more than 3 km, between the Hindu Kush ridges, there is a chain of 6 beautiful lakes Bande-Amir. The name, which translates as “Ali Dam,” was given by the local Shiites in honor of the 4th Caliph and the 1st Imam of this teaching.
The lakes differ in area and depth: the largest is the Bande Zulfikar (6.5 km long); the smallest Bande-Panir (diameter 100 m); the deepest Bande-Khaibat (150 m).
All lakes are divided among themselves by natural formations (rocks, dams). The mountains in the area are composed of calcareous tuff, which is well weathered and emits carbon dioxide under the influence of water. Due to the chemical reaction, the water bodies have a bright turquoise color and are saturated with carbon dioxide. The water in the lakes has a characteristic aftertaste due to the contained weak solution of carbonic acid, which slows down the growth of bacteria.
Due to the arid climate, the vegetation around is very sparse. Therefore, the unique landscapes of cold reservoirs against the backdrop of stone mountains rising from the water, impresses tourists and caravan drivers.
Establishment of a National Park
Previously, the Great Silk Road passed through these places. Nearby, in the Bamyan Valley, there was the only convenient passage in the district through the Hindu Kush. Rulers and invaders fought a desperate battle over valuable territories, as a result of which the most dramatic events of the ancient history of Afghanistan took place on the shores of lakes.
The locals have built up many legends about the lakes, claiming that they were created by mystical forces.
In the 1960s, the idea was to create a natural conservation area here, however, due to political turmoil and wars, this issue was postponed several times. And only in 2004, at the request of the Afghan authorities, the lakes were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the Bande Amir National Park was created on the territory.
Even now, many Afghans visit the territory of the lakes to pray, and treat them as a religious shrine.
Sights of the mountainous regions of Afghanistan
The most famous, but, unfortunately, lost for humanity, the country's landmark was Buddhist statues. They were located near the Bamyan Valley in the mountains of Afghanistan, 200 km northwest of Kabul.
In the II century, there were many Buddhist monasteries in which several thousand monks lived.
Multi-storey cave complexes were hollowed out in the rocks, in which not only the locals lived, but also visiting merchants and pilgrims could stop. During the reign of King Ashok , the construction of giant stone statues began here, which were created by local craftsmen right on the surface of the mountain. Their creation lasted more than 200 years.
In the 9th century, the city of Gaugale was founded here, then destroyed by the troops of Genghis Khan. Then this complex got the name Kafirkala, that is, "the city of the infidels." Among the rocks were 2 giant Buddha statues, but they were not touched by any conquerors. The statues of Buda and local shrines in the rocks symbolized the glory and prosperity of Afghanistan, having stood here for more than one and a half millennia.
However, only photographs have survived to this day. In 2001, the statues were blown up and destroyed by the Taliban, who ranked them among pagan idols and decided to destroy them. This was done in spite of the protest of the world community and the authorities of many Islamic countries.
Information about the name of the mountains in Afghanistan, their natural resources and attractions, is useful for all people interested in the history and geography of other states of our planet.