The Khyber Pass is a "steep gorge separating Afghanistan from Paskistan and the northern states of India, the pass is at some stretches only fifty feet wide, and extends for about thirty miles through the Sefid Koh -- the "White Mountains" -- from Afghanistan in the west to the plains of Peshawar in the east. A locale of arresting beauty, it has for generations been the unconquerable linchpin of Central Asia."
Here's a timely read with some fascinating history on Gandharan Buddhism, Bamyian Valley, and the influence of Hellenism on early Buddhism. Also some very readable passages on the origins and rise of Islam, Genghis Khan, Tamberlane.
