| Safed Koh /Spīn Ghar | |
|---|---|
| Pashto:سپین غر Persian:سفیدکوه Urdu:سفیدکوه | |
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Sikaram, Afghanistan–Pakistan Border |
| Elevation | 4,755 m (15,600 ft) |
| Coordinates | 33°58′N70°22′E / 33.967°N 70.367°E /33.967; 70.367 |
| Geography | |
  Safed Koh /Spīn Ghar Afghanistan | |
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TheSpīn Ghar[1][2] (Pashto:سپین غر) orSafēd Kōh[3][4][5] (Dari:سفیدکوه, less used in this area) both meaningWhite Mountain, or sometimes (Pashto:Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh[6]) meaningwhite mountain range, is amountain range to the south of theHindu Kush. It ranges from easternAfghanistan intoKhyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan, and forms a natural border between the two areas. Its highest peak isMount Sikaram on theAfghanistan–Pakistan border, which towers above all surrounding hills to 4,755 m (15,600 ft)above mean sea level.[7] The lower hills are mostly barren and treeless, butpine grows on the main mountains that form theEast Afghan montane conifer forests.[citation needed]
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The range extends from thePeshawar valley in Pakistan in the east about 160 kilometers west to theLogar valley in Afghanistan. TheKabul River cuts a narrowtrough through the Spīn Ghar mountains to flow eastward into theIndus River. The range connects directly with theShandur Top offshoot of theHindu Kush mountain system.[1]
The highest peak isMount Sikaram (Sikaram Sar), near the Pakistani town ofParachinar in theKurram Valley. From here it passes toTari Mangal,Pewar,Alizai, Khewas, Shilawzan, Luqman Khel, Maikay, Chappri Rest House, Zeran, andUpper Khyber Agency. The Spīn Ghar mountains form thewatershed between the river systems of the Kabul andKurram.
The closest cities to the Spīn Ghar areJalalabad to the north;Gardez to the west; andKhost, andParachinar in Pakistan to the south.
The range betweenHerat in the west andChaghcharan in the east is calledParopamisus Mountains.[8][9][10][11]
The White Mountains are part of the western rim that separates theIndian subcontinent from theEurasian Plate.
The base of the mountains consists ofProterozoicgneisses andgranites with admixtures ofgabbros, maficmetavolcanic rocks,marble andmigmatites. On the summit there are cirque glaciers, some of which are filled with scree.[12]
On the southern flank of theSikaram Sar follow from 2500 m from bottom to top: alluvial soils in valleys, limestone and dolomite up to 4000 m, an intermediate zone of slate at 4000 m, above crystalline rock.[13]
A 20,000 hectarebiotope in the southwest of Spīn Ghar is listed as an important bird area in Afghanistan.[14]
Above the nearly barren lower slopes, forests of pine anddeodar cedar thrived on the main range, but devastation during theAfghan civil wars reduced timber resources. The valleys still support some agriculture.
The rivers of the White Mountains serve the irrigation of the fields in the densely populated river valleys,[15] which allows the pelvis of Jalalabad multiple harvests. Wheat, maize, various types of vegetables (onions, green beans, okra, tomatoes, etc.), cotton, opium poppies, lemons, sugar cane, and olives are also grown around Jalalabad.[16][17][18] The Bara high valley in the southeast of the range is one of the most intensively used agricultural areas of the Pakistani tribal areas underKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[citation needed]
Older reports speak of rich orchards in the valleys of Spīn Ghar with mulberry and pomegranate trees.[19]
Wood from the eastern Afghan forests has been exported mainly to Pakistan since the 19th century, and in increasingly irresponsible quantities, so that Afghanistan imposed a complete export ban in 1975, which smugglers circumvented.[20][21] In addition to the actual forestry there is or was a collection economy for pistachio nuts and the edible seeds ofPinus gerardiana.[22]
There are a few notablemountain passes in or near the Spīn Ghar mountain range. The famous Khyber Pass crosses a spur of the Spīn Ghar. A second crossing, nearMount Sikaram, is calledPeiwar Pass or Gawi Pass and connectsParachinar city on the Pakistani side with theAryob Valley ofPaktia Province, Afghanistan. The most viable route over the main ridge of the White Mountains is the Agam Pass (3586 m), over which the distance from Jalalabad to Parachinar is 92 km.[23]
TheDurand Line border formed in 1893 between Afghanistan andBritish India cuts through these mountains.
According toUS military intelligence, manyal-Qaeda fighters, includingOsama bin Laden, crossed the Spīn Ghar to escape to Pakistan during theTora Bora offensive in 2001. Bin Laden hid in the sparsely vegetated mountains in the northern part, calledTora Bora. After 2004, the Spīn Ghar mountain range was a pivotal place and theater of many battles fought between theforeign fighters of al-Qaeda and the jointNorthern Command of thePakistani military, with the latter trying to prevent the foreign fighters' incursion into Pakistan.
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