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Peshawar Valley was once part of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, the remains of which are scattered throughout the district. The armies of Alexander reached the Indus Valley by two separate routes, one through the Khyber Pass and the other led by Alexander himself to Kumar. By the 8th C. the Afghans had appeared in the valley. In 1505 the Mughal emperor Babar invaded the area through Khyber Pass.
Peshawar Valley has been for millenniums the route in and out India. One of the rich valleys at the foothills of the Himalayas, irrigated by abundant thaw, squeezed between the mountain range and the Afghan-Persian desserts is the most convenient passage for India’s historic access. New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Kabul, all aligned, seem to invite for a rove.
Blessing or curse, actual historical situation is complex. Peshawar valley is 4 million people large, 1 m. at the Peshawar city, growing by 3.5% annual. Confronted with alternative cultural models it has to find its way forward in a very personal way where contrast should be the source of potential for synthesis on growth and integration. |