Jalalabad

Jalalabad (Pashto: جلال آباد‎, romanized: Ǧalālābād pronounced [dʒælɒlɒbɒd]; also known as Jalalabad due to transliteration from Persian to English) is a city in Afghanistan and capital of Nangarhar province. It is located at the confluence between the Kabul and Kunar rivers. It is located 150 kilometers east of Kabul on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway and 130 kilometers west of the city of Peshawar in Pakistan. The majority of the population is Pashtun. The city has a university and airport.

Jalalabad has intense social and commercial activity thanks to its proximity to the Torjam border crossing, which is 65 km away. Agricultural production (oranges, rice and sugar cane) also stands out. The city's main industrial activity consists of paper manufacturing.

It is made up of six districts and has a total area of 12,796 hectares. The total number of homes in this city is 39 586.

History

Fa Xian visited and worshiped Buddhist sacred sites such as The Shadow of the Buddha at Nagarhara (modern Jalalabad). In 630 AD. C., Xuan Zang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, visited Jalalabad - which he referred to as Adinapur - as well as a number of other nearby places. The city was an important center of Greco-Buddhist Gandhara culture in the past, until it was conquered by the Muslim Ghaznavid dynasty in the 17th century XI. However, not all its inhabitants converted to Islam during that period, as some still refused to accept it. In the book of Hudud al-Alam, written in 982 AD. C., reference is made to a village near Jalalabad where the local king used to have many Hindu, Muslim and Afghan wives.

The region became part of the Ghaznavid Empire in the 10th century. Sabuktigin annexed land up to the west of the Neelum River in Kashmir. "The Afghans and the Jilyids who resided among the mountains took an oath of allegiance to Sabuktigin, and after that many of them enlisted in his army, after which he returned triumphant to Ghazni." The Gurids succeeded the Ghaznavids and expanded Islam beyond Hindustan. The region around Jalalabad later became part of the territory of the Khilji Dynasty, followed by that of the Timurids.^{[citation needed]}

The original name of Jalalabad is said to have been Adinapur. The town was renamed Jalalabad in the last decade of the XVI century, in honor of Yalala, the son of Pir Roshan. ^{[citation needed]} The modern city gained prominence during the reign of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. Babur had chosen the location of this city, which was built by his grandson Jalaleddin Mohammad Akbar in 1560.

It remained part of the Mughal Empire until around 1738 when Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces of Khorasan began to defeat the Mughals. Nader Shah's forces were accompanied by the young Ahmed Sah Abdali and his Afghan army of 4,000 soldiers from southern Afghanistan. In 1747, he founded the Durrani Empire after reconquering the area. The city was used by the Durrani army for a long time, as they went to and from their military campaigns across the Indian subcontinent.

British-Indian forces invaded Jalalabad in 1838, during the First Anglo-Afghan War. In the Battle of Jellalabad of 1842, Wazir Akbar Khan besieged British troops on their way to Jalalabad. In 1878, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the British again invaded and set up camps at Jalalabad, but withdrew two years later.

Jalalabad is considered one of the most important cities of Pashtun culture. Seraj-ul-Emarat, the residence of Amir Habibullah and King Amanullah, was destroyed in 1929 when Habibullah Kalakani came to power. However, the other sanctuaries preserve vestiges of the past. The mausoleum of both rulers is surrounded by a garden in front of Seraj-ul-Emart. The Sulemankhils, a Pashtun family famous for their scientific research, are from Jalalabad. Other famous Pashtun families also come from the villages near Jalalabad.

From 1978 until the early 1990s, the city, due to its strategic location, played a key role within the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. In the spring of 1989, two mujahideen rebel factions backed by Pakistan and the United States stormed the city during the Battle of Jalalabad. However, the government forces managed to expel them within two months, which was a major setback for the resistance fighters and the ISI. After the resignation of President Mohammad Najibullah, Jalalabad quickly fell to the Mujahideen rebels of Yunus Khalis on April 19, 1992. On September 12, 1996, the Taliban took control of the city until they were overthrown by the Taliban forces. US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. Al-Qaeda had been building terrorist training camps in Jalalabad. The city returned to the control of the Afghan government under President Hamid Karzai.

Jalalabad's economy grew gradually during the first decade of the 21st century. Much of the city's population began to join the Afghan national security forces. Construction-related activities have also increased. Jalalabad Airport has long served as a military base for NATO forces. In 2011, the United States Embassy in Kabul announced that it planned to establish a consulate in Jalalabad. Occasionally there were suicide attacks by forces opposed to the Afghan government of the time. These forces included the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Al-Qaeda and the new ISIS group.

Demography

The population of the city is estimated at 356,274 in 2015.

Virtually all residents of Jalalabad are Muslims and Sunnis. The city is home to one of the few Hindu temples in Afghanistan, the Hindu Darga Temple, founded around 1084 AD. C.

Land use

Jalalabad is the regional center of eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. 44% of the land is dedicated to agriculture. The highest housing density is found in Districts 1-5 and vacant parcels are largely clustered in District 6. Districts 1 through 6 have a grid road network.

Climate

The climate of Jalalabad is a hot desert. It receives between 152 and 203 mm of rain per year, which decreases in winter and during the spring months. Frost is not common and during summer the temperature can reach a maximum of 49°C.

The northern and southwestern parts of the city, which have a lower elevation, are welcoming places for the northerly and westerly winds, which cool those areas during the summer months. Jalalabad has the highest relative humidity in summer, compared to other Afghan cities. However, the moderate winter temperatures have led several people throughout history to establish their settlements in the city.

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Average climate parameters of Yalalabad
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	25.0	28.8	34.5	40.5	45.4	47.5	44.7	42.4	41.2	38.2	32.4	25.4
Average temperature (°C)	15.9	17.9	22.5	28.3	34.7	40.4	39.3	38.0	35.2	30.5	23.3	17.5	28.6
Average temperature (°C)	8.5	10.9	16.3	21.9	27.7	32.7	32.8	31.9	28.1	22.2	14.9	9.5	21.5
Temp. medium (°C)	2.9	5.6	10.5	15.3	19.8	24.7	26.7	26.2	21.4	14.4	6.9	3.5	14.8
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	−14.1	-9.5	-1.0	6.1	10.6	13.5	19.0	17.5	11.0	2.7	−4.5	−5.5
Total precipitation (mm)	18.1	24.3	39.2	36.4	16.0	1.4	6.9	7.7	8.3	3.2	8.3	12.1	181.9
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	4	5	8	8	4	1	1	1	1	1	2	3	39
Hours of sun	180.9	182.7	207.1	227.8	304.8	339.6	325.9	299.7	293.6	277.6	231.0	185.6	3056.3
Relative humidity (%)	61	60	62	59	47	40	52	58	56	55	58	63	55.9
Source: NOAA (1964-1983)

Flora and fauna

In Jalalabad there are a large number of fruit trees. Various types of citrus fruits, such as orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon and lime, grow in their gardens and orchards. Orange trees produce a crop only once every three years. The narindj variety of orange is the most common: it has yellow skin and its flavor is a combination of orange and grapefruit. The grapefruits grown here have a diameter of 20 to 22 cm. Every year, 1,800 tons of pomegranates, 334 tons of grapes, and 7,750 tons of blackberries are produced in Jalalabad. The fruits are sold in local markets or transported to markets in Kabul, from where they are exported. The second most common crop is vatani, the local variety of sugar cane. Contains 15% sugar by weight.

Transportation

Jalalabad airport was built for dual use, civil and military. It is designed to serve the population of Nangarhar province and the neighboring province for flights within the country. Until the Taliban's return to power, the airport was used by NATO-led forces, including the Afghan Air Force. The airport was also used as one of the launching and monitoring points for drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There are proposals to link, through Jalalabad, the railway network of Afghanistan with the railways of Pakistan, which would allow greater trade in goods and people between the two countries.

Jalalabad is connected by major roads to the Afghan capital of Kabul, the city of Peshawar in 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 repaved in 2006, reducing transit time between these two important cities. This road is considered one of the most dangerous in the world, due to the large number of accidents. An improvement in the road networks between Jalalabad and Peshawar has also been proposed.

Places of interest

Jalalabad is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Afghanistan. It has a lot of vegetation and water. A modern suburb, called Ghazi Amanullah Town, is being built on the southeastern outskirts of Jalalabad. It is named after King Amanullah Khan and is said to be the largest and most modern municipality ever built in the history of Afghanistan.

Jalalabad is considered the capital of Afghan cricket, and many of the national players come from the surrounding areas. Construction of a new cricket stadium has begun near the city. It is expected that national teams will compete in this stadium and that it will also attract international teams.

Places of interest

Jalalabad Airport (IATA: JAA, ICAO: OAJL) is located 5 kilometers southeast of the city. Currently, this airport is used only for military purposes and also by United Nations UNHAS aircraft. It is occupied and maintained by the United States Armed Forces. They operate from Forward Fenty Operating Base, which is adjacent to Jalalabad Airport. The airport is also used by the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and ISAF members.

• New Yalalabad Airport

In April 2009, the then Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Afghanistan, Hamidullah Qaderi, announced the construction of a new civil airport in the Gambiri area, northwest of Jalalabad. The new airport should have been built with financial assistance from the United States.

• Foreign consulates

India and Pakistan have a consulate in the city to manage their commercial, military and political ties.

Historical monuments

• Mausoleum of King Amanullah Khan
• Mausoleum of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
• Mausoleum of Mohammad Gul Khan Momand
• Mosques

Hospitals

Jalalabad district has three large hospitals: Fatumatu Zahra, Nangarhar Medical Hospital and the General Public Health Hospital, the latter being one of the largest in the country.

Universities

Nangarhar University (Pashto: د ننګرهار پوهنتون) is a government-funded higher education institution. It is the second largest university in the country. It was founded in Shesham bhag Jalalabad, in 1963, during the reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah, by the then minister of education, Ali Ahmad Popal. Initially, the university began with only one faculty, medicine, where 48 students were taught by only eight professors, five Americans and three Afghans. Then, gradually, the faculties of Engineering, Agriculture, Education, Languages and Literature, Economics, Sharia, Law and Political Science, Veterinary Sciences, Sciences, Computer Science, Journalism and Public Administration (schools) were established. It now has thirteen faculties, with 73 departments, where more than 14,000 students, both male and female, are enrolled and taught by 467 teachers.

Sports

The province is represented in national competitions by the Nangarhar Provincial Cricket Team. Hamid Hasan, a member of the national team, was born in the province and currently represents Afghanistan in international cricket. The Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium is Afghanistan's first international standard cricket stadium. It is located in the Ghazi Amanullah neighborhood, a modern suburb on the southeastern outskirts of Jalalabad. Construction of the stadium began in March 2010, when finance minister and Afghanistan Cricket Board president Omar Zakhilwal laid the foundation stone. The project, which was developed on 121,400 square meters of land donated to the Ghazi Amanullah area, cost US$1.8 million in its first construction phase. The first phase, which took a year to complete, included the completion of the stadium itself. The remaining phases will see the construction of a pavilion, player accommodation and administrative buildings. The stadium has a capacity for 14,000 spectators. In 2018 the stadium was a victim of violence and eight people lost their lives during a terrorist attack. Every Friday it is common to see many Afghans get together to play cricket in public parks or on the banks of the Kabul river.

Jalalabad Professional Sports Teams

Club	League	Sport	Meeting place	Established
Nangarhar Leopards	Afghanistan Premier League	Críquet	Cricket Sharjah Stadium	2018
Spin Ghar Tigers	Shpageeza Cricket League	Críquet	Ghazi Amanullah International	2013
From Spin Ghar Bazan F.C.	Afghan Premier League	Football	Ghazi Stadium	2012

Stadiums

• Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium
• Sherzai Cricket Stadium (in construction)
• National Football Stadium

Twinning cities

San Diego, United States