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36-500: Landi Kotal is a tourist destination. It was the terminus railway station of Khyber Pass Railway . A tourist train, the Khyber train safari was run on this railway. However, the train closed down in 2006 after floods washed away the railway track and bridges. Landi Kotal is the main shopping centre for the Shalmani , Shinwari , Afridi , and Mulagori tribes of Khyber Agency. Landi Kotal

72-476: A combination of European and monarchist activities. The Persian government quickly came to realise that an Anglo-Russian alliance posed a larger threat to Iranian sovereignty than the two powers being hostile. Consequently, in 1907, Britain and Russia signed an agreement to regulate their economic and political interests. The Anglo-Russian Convention formalized the spheres of influence of the Russian Empire and

108-559: The British Empire in Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet. The agreement recognized the country's sovereignty but also divided it into three separate zones. The agreement designated all of northern Iran, which bordered Russia's possessions in Transcaucasia and Central Asia, as an exclusive sphere of influence for Russian interests. The northern zone was defined as beginning at Qasr-e Shirin in

144-721: The British Raj . The most obvious routes for any invasion was through the Khyber Pass or the Bolan Pass , and so it was suggested that strategic railways be built in both of these passes. In 1879, a reconnaissance survey was conducted to examine the feasibility of laying railways through the two passes ( Sind–Pishin State Railway ) to thwart any Russian invasion. In 1905, the North Western State Railway began construction of

180-619: The Emir of Afghanistan felt humiliated and outraged when he read the terms of the Convention, partly because the United Kingdom had not bothered to notify him about the negotiations or their conclusions. Like the terms relating to Persia, the agreement resulted in the growth of anti-British sentiments in Afghanistan. The Anglo-Russian Convention acknowledged the "Chinese suzerainty" over Tibet, and

216-514: The Ottoman Empire and had few colonial aspirations in the region. In 1905, revolutionary activity spread throughout Tehran , forcing the shah to accept a constitution , allow the formation of a majles (parliamentary assembly), and hold elections. Major figures in the revolution had secular goals, which then created rifts in the clergy to the advantage of the monarchy. Neither the British nor

252-538: The United Kingdom in 1947, there is still a board on the tree notifying passerby of its arrest. [1] ==External links== { Landi Kotal railway station } { [2] } Khyber Pass Railway The Khyber Pass Railway ( Urdu : درۂ خیبر ریلوے ) was one of several railway lines in Pakistan , operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways . The line began at Peshawar City and ended at Landi Khana . The total length of

288-551: The United Kingdom pledged not to deal with Tibet unilaterally without the approval of the Chinese government. The United Kingdom thought that this convention would put a stop to Russia's expansionist efforts, which were threatening India, and with the development of Anglo-Russian ties in the early 1900s, both the United Kingdom and Russia acknowledged Tibet's role as a buffer in the Anglo-Russian Convention that also recognized

324-558: The Afridis took the town again during the second Anglo-Afghan War. The Landi Kotal fort during the period of British rule was of the ordinary type, consisting of a keep and an outer fort with accommodation for 5 British officers and 500 native officers and men. From 1899, like the other posts in the Khyber, it had been garrisoned by the Khyber Rifles, an irregular corps of militia recruited from

360-522: The British sphere of influence. Russia also promised to stay out of Tibet and Afghanistan. In exchange, London extended loans and some political support. The convention brought shaky British–Russian relations to the forefront by solidifying boundaries that identified respective control in Persia , Afghanistan , and Tibet . This agreement would eventually form a component of the Triple Entente . During

396-626: The Constitutional Revolution. Subsequently, an important legacy of the agreement was the growth of anti-British sentiments and other anti-Western attitudes as strong components of Iranian nationalism . The agreement did not eliminate all competition between the two powers with respect to their policies in Iran, but after 1907, broad co-operation was fostered, particularly when Anglo-Russian interests were threatened. In particular, Britain and Russia intervened in Iran's domestic politics, supporting

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432-487: The Russian governments approved of the new political arrangement, which was both liberal and unstable, and preferred a stable puppet government , which allowed foreign concessions and supported their designs in the region. To facilitate their goals in Persia, the British and the Russian governments discussed splitting it into three zones. The agreement stipulated that it would "allocate the north, including Isfahan , to Russia;

468-688: The Straits without going into the Black Sea" together with some talk of "Russia's occupying the Bosphorus and England the Dardanelles, after which the Straits might be opened to other warships as well." In the event nothing came of the discussions at the time. On May 20, 1882, Germany entered into the Triple Alliance with Italy and Austria-Hungary , complementing its industrial and socio-political ascendance in

504-474: The agreement but was informed after it had been signed. Although not in a position to prevent Britain and Russia from implementing the agreement, the Persian government refused to recognize the accord's legitimacy since it threatened the country's national integrity. Iranian nationalists, in particular, were infuriated by Britain's signing of the treaty, a country that they had considered as a beacon of democracy during

540-531: The carriages from the rear and front, were built in the United Kingdom by Vulcan Foundry and by Kitson & Co . An unusual feature of the train journey was that its route passed across the main runway of Peshawar Airport . ) On 3 April 1926, the railway was extended to Landi Khana, just three kilometres from the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan . In 1932, the Landi Kotal to Landi Khana section of railway

576-471: The construction of the line. The section from Jamrud to Landi Kotal was opened on 3 November 1925, by the wife of the engineer. The train took passengers through rugged mountainous terrain, reaching a height of 1,200 m (3,900 ft), to reach Landi Kotal , covering a distance of 52 km (32 mi), with 34 tunnels, 92 bridges and culverts and a zig-zag between Landi Kotal and Landi Khana . The oil-fired steam engines, which pushed and pulled

612-400: The contrary, it is urgently desirable that Russia's position and influence be re-established in the councils of Europe. and later, writing to his ambassador to Russia Sir Arthur Nicolson : It is not for us to propose changes with regard to the treaty conditions of the Dardanelles. I think some change in the direction desired by Russia would be admissible and we should be prepared to discuss

648-613: The defeat in 1905 of Russia by a nascent Asian power, the Empire of Japan , in the Russo-Japanese War , helped to persuade some British and Russian officials of a need to resolve their respective differences in Asia. There was talk of an entente during the 1880s and 1890s, especially after Britain's occupation of Egypt in 1882. However, there was stiff resistance in Britain to a deal with Russia. In

684-460: The last third of the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire 's advances into Central Asia and the consolidation of Great Britain's domination of South Asia led to intense rivalry between the two European powers. The conflicting interests centered on Afghanistan, Iran, and Tibet, three states that constituted buffers between the two powers. The emergence of the German Empire as a world power and

720-574: The leadup to the convention, there were discussions on the Straits question . Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey thought entente with Russia a good idea. On 20 October 1905, during the election, he said: ...if Russia accepts, cordially and whole-heartedly, our intention to preserve the peaceable possession of our Asiatic possessions, then I am quite sure that in this country no government will make it its business to thwart or obstruct Russia's policy in Europe. On

756-663: The line at the village of Kacha Garhi , located between Peshawar and Jamrud . The broad gauge track made progress westwards and 32 kilometers (20 mi) of track had been laid by 1907. On 31 August 1907, the Anglo-Russian Entente was signed between the United Kingdom and Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia . The agreement ended the shaky British–Russian relationship and solidified boundaries, particularly in Afghanistan . The new alliance and boundary agreement meant that Russia

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792-479: The line is 58 kilometers (36 mi), and there are 13 railway stations. Passenger train traffic on the route has been suspended due to security concerns and the 2006 monsoon rains, which washed away several sections of the tracks and damaged bridges. The Great Game was responsible for the creation of the Khyber Pass Railway. The British were convinced that the Russian Empire was planning to invade

828-546: The new railway line would facilitate trade with Pakistan. Anglo-Russian Entente The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 ( Russian : Англо-Русская Конвенция 1907 г. , romanized :  Anglo-Russkaya Konventsiya 1907 g. ), or Convention between the United Kingdom and Russia relating to Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet ( Конвенция между Соединенным Королевством и Россией относительно Персии, Афганистана, и Тибета ; Konventsiya mezhdu Soyedinennym Korolevstvom i Rossiyey otnositel'no Persii, Afghanistana, i Tibeta ),

864-569: The poor security situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In 2016, the Afghan Ministry of Public Works began a survey of the railway line from the Pakistan border to Jalalabad. Nangarhar 's governor directed relevant authorities to cooperate in undertaking the survey. Afghanistan has also put forth proposals and requests to further extend the railway to Kabul . The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (ACCI) said that

900-482: The question if Russia introduces it. In early 1907, Alexander Izvolsky , the Russian ambassador at Paris, raised the question and talks were carried on in London with Russian Ambassador Count Alexander Benckendorff . Little is known but the "suggestion appears to have been made that Russia should have free egress from the Black Sea through the Straits, while other powers should have the right to send their vessels of war into

936-574: The royalists in their struggle with the constitutionalists. The agreement lapsed in 1918, after it was renounced by the new revolutionary Soviet Russia . With the Anglo-Russian Convention Russia acknowledged that Afghanistan was in the British sphere of influence as long as the United Kingdom did not attack the country, and in exchange, the United Kingdom gave Russia's right to equal commerce and direct communication with Afghan officials on non-political topics. Habibullah Khan ,

972-433: The south-east, especially Kerman , Sistan , and Baluchistan to Britain; and demarcate the remaining land between the two powers as a neutral zone". The division of Persia would reinforce the control of Britain and Russia over their respective territorial and economic interests in the country as well as allowed for continued interference in Persia's political system. With foreign help, the revolutionaries became outflanked by

1008-515: The south. The area separating these two spheres, including part of central Iran and the entire southwest, was designated a neutral zone in which both countries and their respective private citizens could compete for influence and commercial privileges. For Britain and Russia, the agreement was important in establishing a diplomatic alignment that endured until the First World War . The Persian government , however, had not been consulted about

1044-558: The tribes of the Khyber Agency. In 1925 the heavily engineered Khyber Pass Railway was opened, linking Jamrud to Landi Kotal. One such tourist attraction nearby Landi Kotal is the Khyber Pass , a mountain pass connecting Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar . Another, slightly less known landmark is a banyan tree , which was placed under arrest in 1898 by a drunk British officer named James Squid. While Pakistan became independent from

1080-456: The west, on the border with the Ottoman Empire, and running through Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd to the eastern border, where the frontiers of Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia intersected. A smaller zone in southeastern Iran, which bordered British India , was recognized as an exclusive sphere for Britain. The British zone extended west as far as Kerman in the south central and Bandar Abbas in

1116-615: The world arena. Furthermore, Germany dramatically increased its military output from the early 1900s up to the outbreak of the First World War. Under the unified German state, Otto von Bismarck worked to increase the nation's global influence and reach what was then the zenith of German power. While Britain and Russia were hostile to German designs in the region, members of the Triple Alliance were in turn opposed to Anglo-Russian influence in Asia. Thus, military and territorial expansion

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1152-609: Was Germany's key to making itself a major player in the international arena of power. Germany's interest in the Middle East took a secondary position, one subordinate to Germany's primary policy toward Europe, throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While of secondary importance, it was a tool that was used to manipulate the Middle Eastern attempt to play off the Western powers against each other. Berlin peacefully made inroads into

1188-566: Was closed at the insistence of Afghan government. Regularly scheduled rail services continued between Peshawar and Landi Kotal until they ended in 1982 due lack of commercial value. The 2008 monsoon rains in the Khyber Pass washed away significant sections of the railway, and the track was closed to all rail traffic. In 2010, Pakistan Railways began a feasibility study to rebuild the Khyber Pass railway and to possibly extend it further west to Jalalabad , Afghanistan. However, work stalled due to

1224-480: Was no longer a threat to the British, and work on the railway stopped. In 1909, several kilometres of permanent way, and some bridges, were removed from the Khyber Pass Railway to be used on other lines being constructed by the North Western State Railway. In 1920, work restarted on the Khyber Pass Railway, and the proposal to use broad gauge was adopted. Victor Bailey was the engineer who oversaw

1260-647: Was signed on August 31, 1907, in Saint Petersburg . It ended the two powers' longstanding rivalry in Central Asia and enabled them to outflank the Germans, who were threatening to connect Berlin to Baghdad with a new railroad that could potentially align the Ottoman Empire with Imperial Germany. The Convention ended the long dispute over Persia between the two parties. Great Britain promised to stay out of northern Persia, and Russia recognized southern Persia as part of

1296-666: Was the westernmost part of the Khyber held by the British during their rule of the Indian subcontinent . In 1897 the Afridis attacked Landi Kotal and other posts in the Khyber Pass . Although the Khyber Rifles put up a stiff defence, Landi Kotal was overrun, as the Rifles lacked water. The British counter-attacked with a force of 34,500 men under Sir William Lockhart , defeating the Afridis, although

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