The Khyber Pass: A History of Empire and Invasion
paddy docherty
Faber, 12.75 pounds
Roam the earth and see what was the end of those who came before you
— The Koran
A sword cut through the mountains” is how Rudyard Kipling described the Khyber Pass. Another Englishman claimed that its stones were awash with blood. Such is the fearsome reputation, even today, of the legendary 33-mile-long mountain pass between modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For centuries, the Khyber Pass was the only means of access to the vast plains of India. Time and again, invading armies poured through this gap, changing the course of Indian history. Paddy Docherty, a sometime chef, shipbroker, investment banker and oil consultant with a history degree from Oxford, traces the flow of events for over 2,000 years.
Docherty brings to his book a special knowledge of the Khyber Pass — he has traversed the length and breadth of the pass, reliving the events that took place at specific places — at one point, he relates standing at Ali Majid, where a century ago, Captain John Nicholson of the retreating British army found the mutilated body of his brother.
Docherty has marshaled all the available archaeological evidence and records, telling the tale with an enviable ease.
Because it is so associated with invasions back and forth, the story of the Khyber Pass is usually presented as a straightforward military history. Docherty does this — and more. The warriors are, for Docherty, only one part of the story. He also relates the impact they had on the people of India. He brings to life the soldiers and their exploits, and the way in which they destroyed or created in the areas they conquered.
... contd.
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