Ali Masjid Fort (Pashto: د علي مسجد قلا; Urdu: علی مسجد فورٹ) is situated on a high location above Ali Masjid, the narrowest point of the Khyber Pass,[1] in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the north west frontier of Pakistan.[2]

Ali Masjid Fort
علی مسجد فورٹ
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan
1890 painting
TypeFort
Site history
Built1837 (1837)

Originally within Afghanistan, the fort was first constructed in 1837 under Emir Dost Muhammad Khan, and was the location for a number of conflicts between Afghan and British-led forces during the 19th century. The fort was captured by the British in 1839 during the First Anglo-Afghan War,[3] and again in November 1878 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War at the Battle of Ali Masjid.[4] In May 1879 the Khyber Pass was ceded to British control by the Treaty of Gandamak, after which the fort was within the British Raj.[5] In 1947 it became a part of Pakistan.

Modern view of the fort

References

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  1. ^ Singh, Sarina (2008), Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway, p. 200, ISBN 9781741045420
  2. ^ Ali Masjid, Lonely Planet
  3. ^ Riddick, John F. (2006). The History of British India. Praeger. p. 43. ISBN 0313322805.
  4. ^ "No. 24672". The London Gazette. 28 January 1879. pp. 409–411.
  5. ^ Treaty of Gandamak, 26 May 1879: text

See also

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34°02′00″N 71°15′25″E / 34.033254933896664°N 71.25701144589809°E / 34.033254933896664; 71.25701144589809