1878 Kiepert Map of Eastern Afghanistan, Khyber Pass, Peshawar

A scarce and highly detailed 1878 topographical map by Heinrich Kiepert of a portion of eastern Afghanistan and surroundings, highlighting the lands between Kabul and Peshawar. It was made as tensions between Britain and Afghanistan peaked, a side effect of the 'Great Game' competition between Britain and Russia, which led to the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

A Closer Look

Coverage runs along an axis from Kabul and its environs to Peshawar and its surroundings. Either due to its orientation (slightly to the northwest instead of due north) or its projection, this map appears to show Peshawar as due east of Kabul and Jalalabad as further north, when in fact both cities are to the south of a line running due east from Kabul. Settlements, rivers, and mountains (with elevation given in meters and English feet) are indicated throughout. A railway running to Peshawar, the Punjab Northern State Railway, only opened two years prior, is also signified. Longitude is noted using both the Greenwich and Paris Meridians, while scales are provided in English miles and kilometers.

Historical Context

British interest in Afghanistan dated to the early 19th century, as Britain and Tsarist Russia looked to gain advantage over each other in Central Eurasia. However, Britain's first foray into Afghanistan (the First Anglo-Afghan War 1838 - 1842) was an abject disaster and ended with one of the worst defeats in British imperial history. Afghanistan was simply too difficult to invade and occupy given the terrain and effective resistance of Afghan warriors. Therefore, Afghanistan remained a solid buffer between the two empires as their competition ranged elsewhere.

However, in July 1878, the Russians, who had recently expanded their empire to the border of Afghanistan, sent a diplomatic envoy to Kabul against the wishes of Sher Ali Khan, Amir of the Barakzai Dynasty. Nevertheless, the British demanded to send a similar mission, which the Amir rejected. When the British sent a delegation anyhow, the Afghans turned it back as it approached the Khyber Pass.

Britain responded with a multi-pronged invasion of Afghanistan in November 1878 that was much more successful than their previous foray. The Amir appealed to the Russians for assistance, but was rebuffed, and he died soon afterwards. His successor, Mohammad Yaqub Khan, signed an agreement which allowed British control of the emirate's foreign affairs and provided territorial concessions. However, the British presence set off a rebellion in September 1879 that lasted nearly a year. Feeling that their goals had been accomplished and considering the difficulty and cost of occupying the country led the British to withdraw all their troops by April 1881, leaving behind some officials to liaise with the Afghan government. Afghanistan was maintained as a semi-independent buffer between the Russian and British zones and, except for the 1885 Panjdeh Incident when Russian troops seized an Afghan border fort, afterwards the two empires did not approach a wider war over Afghanistan.

The Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878 – 1880)

The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan, which was ruled by Sher Ali Khan. Split between two campaigns, the first took place between November 1878, when the British invaded Afghanistan, and May 26, 1879, when the Afghans and British signed the Treaty of Gandamak. The second campaign was instigated by the murder of Sir Louis Cavagnari, the British representative in Kabul, and his guards. The fighting began with the October 6, 1879 defeat of the Afghan Army at Charasiab by the Kabul Field Force under Sir Frederick Roberts. Roberts occupied Kabul two days later and made camp at the Sherpur Cantonment. The Sherpur Cantonment was a British military encampment established during the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the site of the 1879 Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment by Afghan forces under Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak. The siege took place between December 15 and December 23, 1879, with the goal of overthrowing the British puppet Emir Mohammad Yaqub Khan and replacing him with the anti-British Mohammed Jan Khan Wardak. Jan's forces outnumbered the British and initially posed a significant threat to the fortified British cantonment. Nonetheless, British officers were able to appeal for rapid reinforcement. When news of an incoming British relief column reached Mohammad Jan, he made a desperate bid, storming the cantonment. Jan's assault was repulsed, and, fearing the relief force, the Afghan army dispersed. Any armed Afghan subsequently found in the area was hunted and killed. The Sherpur Cantonment has survived to the present day as a British cemetery. Yaqub Khan was forced to abdicate, and, after some indecision, the British installed his cousin Abdur Rahman Kahn as a puppet emir. Enraged, Ayub Khan, Yaqub's brother, led a revolt in Herat and defeated a British detachment at the July 1880 Battle of Maiwand, then proceeded to besiege Kandahar. In response, Roberts led the main British force out of Kabul and defeated Ayub Khan at the September 1 Battle of Kandahar, officially ending the war. Abdur Rahman Kahn confirmed the Treaty of Gandarmak, which granted the Afghans British protection and a subsidy in exchange for ceding Britain territory and control over Afghan foreign policy.

The Great Game - the struggle for Afghanistan

From 1830 until 1895, a political and diplomatic confrontation, known as 'The Great Game', existed between the British Empire and the Russian Empire over Afghanistan and other territories in Central and Southern Asia. Illustrating a flashpoint region during an era steeped in distrust and the constant threat of war, this map is expressive of the undeniable undercurrent of hostility that pervaded the region. 'The Great Game', as it is known, was ignited due to Russian fears that Britain was making commercial and military inroads in Central Asia, while Britain mutually feared Russia adding 'the jewel in the crown' (India) to its vast empire in Asia. Several wars were fought, including the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1838, the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1845, the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1848, and the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878, along with the Russian annexations of Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand. Per historians, the Great Game ended on September 10, 1895, with the signing of the Pamir Boundary Commission protocols, which defined the border between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire - but well into the 20th century the British were well aware the conflict remained. Regarding the attitude of Afghans to the British and to the Russians, the general assumption of the British was that 'Some will fight for us, some against us, but all will fight.'

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Heinrich Kiepert, photolithographed by the firm Burchard Gebrüder, with terrain added by Wilhelm Greve, and was published in 1878 by Dietrich Reimer. Based on the subtitle, Kiepert drew on several sources in compiling this map. It is held by the University of Chicago Library, the British Library, and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and has no known history on the market.