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,[a][b] previously known asTarunshahr,[4] and historically known asNagarahara orAdinapur,[5] is acity in easternAfghanistan, serving as the capital ofNangarhar Province. It has an estimated population of 318,733 people.[3]Qari Bismellah Bilal is the currentmayor of the city.[1] Mohammad Ishaq Saeed serves as the current deputy mayor.[6]
Jalalabad is home toNangarhar University, which is in the northwestern area of the city. TheJalalabad Airport is in the southeastern part of the city. Jalalabad has a number ofindustrial parks,bazaars, business centers, public parks,banks, hotels, restaurants,mosques,hospitals,universities, and places to playsports or just relax. The city is connected by a road network withAsadabad to the northeast,Torkham to the southeast, andKabul to the west. It is about 80 mi (130 km) from the city of Kabul.
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).[11] 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, complete conversions to Islam evidently did not occur quickly. InHudud-al-Alam, written in 982 CE, there is reference to a village near Jalalabad where a local ruler had Muslim, Buddhist andHindu wives.[12]
The region became part of the MuslimGhaznavid 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."[13] TheGhurids succeeded the Ghaznavids and expanded the Islamic culture further intoHindustan. The region around Jalalabad later became part of theKhalji territory, followed by that of theTimurids.[14]
The Bagh-e Shahi palace and gardens, c. 1920.The Emir's gardens, pictured in the 19th century.
It is said that the original name of Jalalabad wasAdinapur or Nagar(a)hara.[5] Jalalabad was named in the last decade of the sixteenth century in honor ofJalal-uddin Mohammad Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire at the time. His grandfatherBabur had chosen the site for this city which was built by his grandson.[15]
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 Hindustan.
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. TheSulaimankhels, a Pashtun family famous for theirscientific research, is from Jalalabad. Other celebrated Pashtun families originate from the villages near Jalalabad too.
Aerial view of JalalabadOne of the main roads where movements ofauto rickshaws have been banned
By the early 1970s, construction had started on a newplanned community within Jalalabad 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.[4] In March 1989, twomujahideen rebel factions backed by Pakistan and the United States assaulted the city during theBattle of Jalalabad. However,government forces managed to drive them out within two months, which was a major setback to the rebel fighters and Pakistan'sISI.[20] 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.[21]
On April 19, 1992, after then-PresidentNajibullah resigned, Jalalabad fell to mujahideen rebel forces underYunus Khalis.[22] On September 12, 1996, theTaliban took control of the city until they were toppled by the US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001, which resulted in theAfghan Interim Administration underHamid Karzai taking control. According to the United States,al-Qaeda had been building militarytraining camps in the area.
Jalalabad is a strategic city in eastern Afghanistan. It connects by a road network withAsadabad to the northeast,Torkham to the southeast, andKabul to the west. It is at an elevation of 575 m (1,886 ft) abovesea level, next to where theKunar River merges into theKabul River. The city is administratively divided into 6 city districts (nahias), covering a land area of 122 km2 (47 sq mi) or 12,796 ha (31,620 acres).[2][26]
View of theSpin Ghar range from the city of JalalabadView towards the city from theKabul River banks to the north
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.[26]
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.[27][28] 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.[29] The fruits are sold in local markets and transported toKabul markets from where they are exported. The second most common crop is localvatani variety of sugarcane. It contains 15% sugar by weight.[30] Jalalabad also has one of the largestdate farms in Afghanistan.[31]
Jalalabad's climate ishot desert (Köppen: BWh), and it is one of the hottest localities in Afghanistan.[32] The city's climate has close resemblance to that ofArizona in theUnited States.[33] 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).[27]
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.[27] 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,[10][34] while rich people would relocate to villas in Jalalabad to avoid the freezing temperatures inKabul.
Jalalabad is connected by a road network withAsadabad to the northeast, Torkham to the southeast, and Kabul to west. TheKabul–Jalalabad Road is heavily used day and night, and still remains dangerous due to many accidents and the occasional rock falling from the high mountains. In January 2026 the city banned allauto rickshaw movements on the main roads in the city's center.[44][45]
TheJalalabad Airport (also known as Nangarhar Airport) is located roughly 3 mi (4.8 km) southeast from the city's center. It is adomestic airport for civilian use.[46] It serves the population of the provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan.
Nangarhar Football Stadium (during construction in 2011)
Cricket,football,futsal andvolleyball are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. Jalalabad 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 byOmar Zakhilwal, the then-Minister of Finance and President of theAfghanistan Cricket Board. 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.
TheGhazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium is next to theGhazi Amanullah Khan Town, which is about 15 mi (24 km) of driving distance southeast of Jalalabad. Some people of Jalalabad go there for sports purposes while others for leisure and enjoyment purposes. This is especially during holidays or when they receive visitors.
Mausoleum of KingAmanullah Khan inside the Siraj-ul-Emarat ParkA shopping area next to Siraj-ul-Emarat Park
The following are some of the places of interest.
Hotels
Spinghar Hotel
Sultan Hotel and Restaurant
White House Hotel
Mosques
Akhunzada Mosque
Spin Mosque
Parks and Gardens
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)
Nakamura Park
Siraj-ul-Emarat Park (located next to House of Governor)
^Kuwayama, Shoshin (2012). "The Hephthalites in Tokharistan and Northwest India". In Liu, Xinru (ed.).India and Central Asia. Permanent Black. p. 240.ISBN978-8178243474.
^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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