The Story of India: Pakistan and North India

Khyber Pass

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• Khyber Pass, Pakistan
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• The Khyber Pass has long been one of the most important trade routes and strategic military locations in the world.
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• Nestled in the mountains that divide present day Pakistan and Afghanistan, it forms the bridge between Central and South Asia. Alexander the Great marched his army through the Pass in an unsuccessful attempt to capture India in 326 BC. Almost 2,000 years later, Babur did succeed in establishing the Moghul Empire in Northern India after coming through the Pass from Afghanistan.

During the Kushan Empire the Pass became a key trade and migration route between India and China. 'The Silk Road', as it was known, saw the movement of thousands of people, and goods such as wool, cotton, and ginger-making. The Kushan period was one of the most multicultural and prosperous empires of its time.