Safed Koh
Encyclopedia
Spin Ghar or Safed Kuh or (as late as the 19th century AD) the Indian Caucasus, also known as the Safīd Mountain Range or Morga Range, is a mountain range
on the Pakistan
-Afghanistan
border, up to 4761 m (15,620 ft) above sea-level at Mount Sikaram
, straight and rigid, towering above all surrounding hills. Except for a narrow trough
cut by the Kābul River
, which breaks through the mountains to flow eastward into the Indus River
, the range connects directly with the Shandūr offshoot of the Hindu Kush
mountain system.
A spur of the range is crossed by the Khyber Pass
. The lower slopes are nearly barren; pine and deodar formerly grew on the main range, but devastation during the Afghan civil war reduced timber resources. The valleys support some agriculture.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
on the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
-Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
border, up to 4761 m (15,620 ft) above sea-level at Mount Sikaram
Mount Sikaram
Mount Sikaram is a mountain in the Spin Ghar range on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border south of the Kabul River and Khyber Pass. At , it is the highest peak of the Spin Ghar.-See also:* Hindukush* Mountain ranges of Pakistan* List of Mountains in Pakistan...
, straight and rigid, towering above all surrounding hills. Except for a narrow trough
Trough (geology)
In geology, a trough generally refers to a linear structural depression that extends laterally over a distance, while being less steep than a trench.A trough can be a narrow basin or a geologic rift....
cut by the Kābul River
Kabul River
Kabul River , the classical Cophes , is a 700 km long river that starts in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan and ends in the Indus River near Attock, Pakistan. It is the main river in eastern Afghanistan and is separated from the watershed of the Helmand by the Unai Pass...
, which breaks through the mountains to flow eastward into the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
, the range connects directly with the Shandūr offshoot of the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
mountain system.
A spur of the range is crossed by the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
. The lower slopes are nearly barren; pine and deodar formerly grew on the main range, but devastation during the Afghan civil war reduced timber resources. The valleys support some agriculture.
See also
- Mountain ranges of PakistanMountain ranges of PakistanPakistan is home to many mountains above . Five of the fourteen eight-thousanders are in Pakistan, four of which are in Karakoram near Concordia....
- List of mountain ranges of the world
- List of mountains in Pakistan
- List of highest mountains (a list of mountains above 7,200m)