From top counter-clockwise: An aerial view of a section of Jalalabad, Irrigation fields in Jalalabad, Jalalabad Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad in January 2011, Jalalabad Bridge, Governor's House in Jalalabad
Jalalabad is a leading center of social and trade activity because of its proximity with the Torkhamborder checkpoint andborder crossing, 65 km (40 mi) away.[5] Major industries include papermaking, as well as agricultural products including oranges, lemon, rice, and sugarcane, helped by its warm climate.[6] It hosts Afghanistan's second largest educational institute,Nangarhar University. For centuries the city was favored by Afghan kings[7] and it has a cultural significance inAfghan poetry.[4] DuringTimur Shah's reign of theDurrani Empire, Jalalabad served as the Afghanwinter capital.[8]
The first surviving references to the city are in early 1st millennium CE accounts by visitingChinese Buddhist monks. In or about 400 CE,Faxian visited "Nagarahara" and worshiped at sacred Buddhist sites, such as the "Cave of the Buddha's Shadow” (佛影窟).[9] In 630 CE,Xuan Zang, visited "Adinapur" and other locations nearby.
The Buddhist era began to end after the region wasconquered by Muslim forces during the late 1st Millennium. However, conversions to Islam evidently did not occur quickly. InHudud-al-Alam, written in 982 CE, there is reference to a village near Jalalabad where the local king had Muslim, Buddhist andHindu wives.[10]
The Bagh-e Shahi palace and gardens, c. 1920.The Emir's gardens, pictured in the 19th century.
The region became part of theGhaznavid Empire in the 10th century.Sabuktigin annexed the land all the way west of theNeelum River in Kashmir. "The Afghans and Khiljies who resided among the mountains having taken the oath of allegiance to Sabuktigin, many of them were enlisted in his army, after which he returned in triumph toGhazni."[11] TheGhurids succeeded the Ghaznavids and expanded the Islamic empire further into Hindustan. The region around Jalalabad later became part of theKhalji territory, followed by that of theTimurids.[12]
It is said that the original name of Jalalabad wasAdinapur or Nagar(a)hara.[13] Jalalabad was named in the last decade of the sixteenth century in honour of Mughal rulerJalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar, the grandson of the founder of theMughal Empire:Babur. Babur had chosen the site for this city which was built by his grandson in 1560.[14]
Driving in Jalalabad
It remained part of the Mughal Empire until around 1738 whenNader Shah and hisAfsharid forces defeated the Mughals. Nader Shah's forces were accompanied by the youngAhmad Shah Durrani and his 4,000-strong Afghan army from southern Afghanistan. In 1747, he founded theDurrani Empire (Afghan Empire) after re-conquering the area. The Afghan army has long used the city while going back and forth during their military campaigns into theIndian-subcontinent.
Jalalabad is considered one of the most important cities of thePashtun culture. Seraj-ul-Emarat, the residence of AmirHabibullah and KingAmanullah was destroyed in 1929 whenHabibullah Kalakani rose to power; the other sanctuaries however, retain vestiges of the past. Themausoleum of both rulers is enclosed by a garden facing Seraj-ul-Emart. TheSulemankhils, a Pashtun family famous for theirscientific research, is from Jalalabad. Other celebrated Pashtun families originate from the villages near Jalalabad too.
In the 1960s and 1970s, construction started on a newplanned city called Reg-e Shamshad Khan.[19]
From 1978 to early 1990s, the city served as a strategic location for theSoviet-backedDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan and was temporarily renamed to Tarunshahr, in honour of Daoud Tarun.[20] In March 1989, twoMujahideen rebel factions backed by Pakistan and the U.S. assaulted the city during theBattle of Jalalabad. Howevergovernment forces managed to drive them out within two months, which was a major setback to the resistance fighters and the ISI.[21] The city was heavily bombarded and hundreds ofcivilians were killed. Many buildings, such as schools, hospitals and public buildings were destroyed during the 2-month battle.[22]
Aerial view of Jalalabad in 2012
After the resignation ofPresidentNajibullah, Jalalabad quickly fell to mujahideen rebels ofYunus Khalis on April 19, 1992.[23] On September 12, 1996, theTaliban took control of the city until they were toppled by the US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.Al-Qaeda had been buildingterrorist training camps in Jalalabad. The city returned to Afghan government control underHamid Karzai.
On August 15, 2021, theTaliban again took control of the city.[26][27] Its capture cut off the last highway fromKabul to the outside world, and thecity fell later the same day. Three days later on August 18, protestors took down the Afghan Taliban flag and replaced it with a tricolor flag of the previousAfghan government.
On 31 August 2025a magnitude 6.0 earthquake located 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad killed over 3,000 people and injured 4,000.[28][29]
The city population is estimated to be 280,685 in year 2021.[2] It has six districts and a total land area of 12,796 hectares (31,620 acres). The total number of dwellings in this city is 39,586.[30]
Nearly all residents of Jalalabad areMuslim, followers ofSunni Islam. Jalalabad is also a center of the country'sSikhs, although the community has dwindled in the city (and nationwide) since the wars began.[31][32] Similarly it is also has aHindu minority.[33]
Jalalabad is the regional hub in eastern Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan. Agriculture is the predominant land use at 44%, higher density of dwellings is found in Districts 1–5 and vacant plots are largely clustered in District 6. Districts 1–6 all have a grid network of roads.[30]
View of theSpin Ghar range from the city of JalalabadView towards the city from theKabul River banks to the north
Jalalabad's climate ishot desert (Köppen: BWh), and it is one of the hottest localities in Afghanistan.[34] The city's climate has close resemblance to that ofArizona in theUnited States.[35] It receives six to eight inches (152 to 203 mm) of rainfall per annum which are limited to winter and the months of spring. Frosts are not common, and during the summer, the temperature can reach a maximum of 120 °F (49 °C).[36]
The north and southwestern parts of the city which has lower elevation are welcoming places to winds from the north and west cooling the parts in summer months. Jalalabad has the highest relative humidity in summer compared to other Afghan cities. However the moderate temperatures of winter has led to various people down the history establishing their settlements in the city.[36] Because of its warm temperature relative to most of Afghanistan, Jalalabad (alongsidePeshawar) was often the "winter capital" of various Afghan rulers of the past centuries,[8][37] while rich people would relocate to villas in Jalalabad to avoid the freezing temperatures inKabul.[38]
Jalalabad is home to a large number of fruit. Various types of citrus fruits likeorange,tangerine,grapefruit,lemon,lime grow in gardens as well as in orchards.[36] The orange trees yield a crop only once in three years. Thenarindj variety of orange is the most common one which has yellow skin and its taste is a combination of orange and grapefruit. The grapefruits grown here have a diameter of eight or nine inches. Per year 1800 tonnes of pomegranates, 334 tonnes of grapes, and 7750 tonnes of mulberries are produced in Jalalabad.[40] The fruits are either sold in local markets or transported toKabul markets from where they are exported. The second most common crop is localvatani variety of sugarcane. It contains 15% sugar by weight.[41] Jalalabad also has the largestdate farm in Afghanistan.[42]
TheJalalabad Airport (also known as Nangarhar Airport) is located roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast from the city's center. It is adomestic airport for civilian use.[43] It serves the population of Nangarhar and neighboring provinces.
There are proposals for the establishment ofAfghanistan's rail network linking Jalalabad withPakistan Railways, allowing for increased trade of goods, people and commerce between the two countries.[44]
Jalalabad is connected by main roads with the Afghan capital of Kabul, the city of Peshawar inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, 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 resurfaced in 2006, reducing the transit time between these two important cities. This highway is considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world because of the large number of accidents.[45] An improvement in the road networks between Jalalabad and Peshawar has also been proposed,[by whom?] with the intention of widening the existing road and improving security to attract more tourists and allow for safer passage of goods between to the two countries.
TheGhazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium is next to theGhazi Amanullah Khan Town, which is about 15 miles (24 km) of driving distance southeast of Jalalabad. The people of Jalalabad go there not only for sports purposes but also for enjoyment and relaxation. This is especially during holidays or when they receive visiting family or friends from another place. It is also a popular hangout for those with cars.
Mausoleum of KingAmanullah Khan inside the Siraj-ul-Emarat ParkA shopping area next to Siraj-ul-Emarat Park
Hotels
Spinghar Hotel
Sultan Hotel and Restaurant
White House Hotel
Mosques
Akhunzada Mosque
Spin Mosque
Parks
Abdul Haq Park (located next to the city's main stadiums)
Amir Habibullah Khan Park (across the street from Siraj-ul-Emarat Park)
Aryan Park (located in the southwestern section of the city)
Farm Hada Park (located in southern part of the city)
Siraj-ul-Emarat Park (located next to House of Governor)
Nangarhar Football Stadium (during construction in 2011)
The province is represented in domestic cricket competitions by the Nangarhar province cricket team. National team member Hamid Hasan was born in the province and he currently represents Afghanistan in international cricket. TheGhazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium is the first international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in theGhazi Amanullah Town, a modern suburb on the southeastern fringe of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province. Construction on the stadium began in March 2010 when the foundation stone was laid by Minister of Finance and president of theAfghanistan Cricket Board, Omar Zakhilwal. The project, which was developed on 30 acres of land donated by the developer constructing the Ghazi Amanullah Town, cost up the first phase of construction $1.8 million. The first phase, which took one year to complete, included the completion of the stadium itself. The remainder of the phases will see the construction of a pavilion, accommodation for players and administrative buildings. The stadium, which has a capacity of 14,000, was completed before the national team and under-19 team left for Canada and the Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland respectively. The two sides inaugurated the stadium in aTwenty20 match. It is hoped that the stadium will be able to attract international teams to play Afghanistan, who currently have One Day International status until at least 2013.
^Kuwayama, Shoshin (2012). "The Hephthalites in Tokharistan and Northwest India". In Liu, Xinru (ed.).India and Central Asia. Permanent Black. p. 240.ISBN978-8178243474.
^Gazetteer of the Peshawar District 1897–98 Page 55
^Adamec, Ludwig W. (2011).Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East : Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan. Scarecrow Press. p. 264.ISBN9780810878150.
^Noelle, Christine (1997).State and Tribe in Nineteenth Century Afghanistan The Reign of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1826-1863). Psychology Press. p. 15.ISBN9781138982871.
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