Jalalabad Travel Guide

Jalalabad is located in the east of Afghanistan on the main road from Kabul the Khyber Pass and on to Pakistan. It is the capital of Nangarhar province and has a population of over 100,000

The city dominates the entrances to the Laghman and Kunar valleys and used to be a leading trading center with India and Pakistan. Before the turmoil in the country the city enjoyed some popualrity as a summer resort because of its climate. It was a popular stop over in the 70-ies for overlanders going from London to Kathmandu.

The historical roots of Jalalabad go back to ancient times when it was a Greco-Buddhist center of Gandhara. Babur, founder of the Mughal empire of India, chose the site for the modern city, which was built c.1570 by his grandson, Akbar. During the First Afghan War, British troops held (1842) Jalalabad against an Afghan siege.

Please note that according to many (western) governments it is not safe to travel to Afghanistan. Although the country is very beautiful and travel will be very exciting it will also be quite dangerous.