Author: Farshad Adel, Chair of the Silk Road Working Group at the Iran-China Think Tank for Strategic Studies
Introduction
Although Afghanistan has been through a turbulent period in recent years, this geographical region has had a distinct position in the past. Cities such as Herat and Balkh, which were once among the most important bases of Iranian culture and the Persian language in the heart of Asia, are a legacy of the glory of this land that reminds us of its important role in the history of Asia
Due to its unique geographical location, this land has seen many invaders, from the forces of Alexander the Great to the British Empire and the Russian Empire in the 19th century, as well as the Soviet Union and the United States in recent decades. However, the permanent conquest of Afghanistan has been almost impossible for all of these forces, and for this reason, this land has been given the nickname the graveyard of empires
With such a history, Afghanistan can rightly be seen as a land whose importance depends on its unique geographical location. A unique geographical location that, although not ideal for military operations, has a long history and significant potential for shaping trade relations between East and West. The Wakhan Corridor is one of the regions that can, like in the past, realize the unique geographical potential of Afghanistan
Natural and Human Geography of the Wakhan Corridor
The Wakhan Corridor is located about 600 kilometers east of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. This narrow strip of land is 350 kilometers long and is located in the Badakhshan region, where three of the world’s major mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Pamir, meet. The region also borders Pakistan, China, and Tajikistan
The Wakhan region is a land of pristine and stunning landscapes, with small, scattered rural settlements. The inhabitants of this region have been an Iranian ethnic group for over 2,500 years who follow the Ismaili Shia sect. This ethnic group, known as the Wakhi people, also lives in the Xinjiang province of China, southeastern Tajikistan, and the Chitral region of Pakistan. They speak Wakhi, a branch of the ancient Persian language
The Wakhi people are a friendly and nature-loving community who are very passionate about music. They use the instruments rubab, dadang, qupuz, daf, and sorna to create local music, and playing buzkashi (a sport in which players on horseback try to carry a goat carcass over a goal) is a popular pastime at their festivals
Wakhan Corridor and the Silk Road
For centuries, the Wakhan Corridor was one of the most important routes for merchants traveling along the Silk Road. This trade route, which emerged in the first and second centuries BC, connected the city of Xi’an in China to the Mediterranean Sea, and merchants traded silk, silver, gold, and lapis lazuli from Badakhshan along this route. These large caravans, which were the only means of travel between distant regions in their time, included a variety of travelers from pilgrims and merchants to scholars and scientists. This helped to spread knowledge, customs, and cultures throughout Asia and Europe
The Wakhan Corridor is a land that has been home to a variety of cultures for centuries. Due to its location at the heart of the Silk Road, the corridor has been a crossroads for people from all over the world
Tang Xuanzang, a seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar, reported the existence of Buddhist monasteries in the Wakhan Corridor. In the Zorkul region, near the Pamir River, there are the remains of a caravanserai dating back to the sixth century. This is evidence of the thriving trade and movement of merchants along the Wakhan Corridor in the past
In the Wakhan Corridor, there are also the remains of a castle called Yamchun. The castle is located on a steep, almost inaccessible cliff and is protected by two river valleys. It has 40 towers and a citadel. The castle is known locally as the “Castle of the Fire Worshippers,” which undoubtedly refers to the presence of Zoroastrian Iranians in the region
The Yamchun Castle dates back to the third century BC and is slightly older than the other famous castle in the Wakhan Valley, the Kakha Palace Castle. The Yamchun Castle had two essential functions in the past: the first was to control the flow of trade and the movement of caravans through the Wakhan Valley
In his book “The Kyrgyz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adapting to Closed War Borders,” Najib Shahrani argues that the Wakhan Corridor was one of the main trade routes between India, China, and the major cities of Iranian culture such as Bukhara until the collapse of the Mughal Empire in India. He believes that the decline of the corridor began only after the development of maritime routes in the 15th century
In his book “The Kyrgyz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adapting to Closed War Borders,” Najib Shahrani argues that the Wakhan Corridor was one of the main trade routes between India, China, and the major cities of Iranian culture such as Bukhara until the collapse of the Mughal Empire in India. He believes that the decline of the corridor began only after the development of maritime routes in the 15th century
Restoring the Role of the Wakhan Corridor
The Wakhan Corridor is the only gateway that allows a direct connection between China and Afghanistan. For this reason, China is considering the possibility of developing a railway route in this region. Although this project may seem difficult at present if Iran also pays enough attention to the revival of the historical Silk Road routes, it will not be out of the question that Iran and China will cooperate to turn Afghanistan into a platform for cooperation, and that the Wakhan Corridor will also regain its historical role as the key to the direct connection between China and Iran. This is because both Iran and China use the standard gauge of 1,435 centimeters for their lines, and if the two railway lines of Iran and China are connected, it will soon provide China with direct access to Chabahar, the Mediterranean, and North Africa, without passing through the wide-gauge railway lines of Central Asia
Iran officially began efforts to create a railway connection with Afghanistan in 2006, based on which the Iranian railway lines from the Khaf region were to be connected to the city of Herat in Afghanistan. This railway line currently provides a connection between Khaf and Rozanak in Afghanistan. Even though the planning of this route was based on the idea of the Five Nations Railway Corridor, due to the slow progress of this 2,100-kilometer corridor and the problems involved in completing it, newer ideas can be proposed for creating a direct railway connection between Iran and China through Afghanistan
If the Khaf-Herat railway line is extended to Kabul and railway access to China is also created through the Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan will become a country in the heart of Asia, in which east and west are linked by a transcontinental railway line. This will be a turning point in the history of Asia, as various commercial, political, and cultural equations in the Asian region will be affected by this project
Restoring the Role of the Wakhan Corridor
The Wakhan Corridor is the only gateway that allows a direct connection between China and Afghanistan. For this reason, China is considering the possibility of developing a railway route in this region. Although this project may seem difficult at present if Iran also pays enough attention to the revival of the historical Silk Road routes, it will not be out of the question that Iran and China will cooperate to turn Afghanistan into a platform for cooperation, and that the Wakhan Corridor will also regain its historical role as the key to the direct connection between China and Iran. This is because both Iran and China use the standard gauge of 1,435 centimeters for their lines, and if the two railway lines of Iran and China are connected, it will soon provide China with direct access to Chabahar, the Mediterranean, and North Africa, without passing through the wide-gauge railway lines of Central Asia
Iran began efforts to connect with Afghanistan by rail in 2006. The plan was to connect Iran’s railway lines in the city of Khaf to the city of Herat in Afghanistan. This line is currently complete up to the town of Rozanak in Afghanistan
The original plan for this route was based on the idea of the Five Nations Railway Corridor, a proposed 2,100-kilometer railway line that would connect Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. However, the progress of this corridor has been slow, and there are several challenges that need to be overcome before it can be completed
In light of these challenges, it is possible to propose new ideas for connecting Iran and China by rail through Afghanistan. One possibility would be to extend the existing Khaf-Herat line to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. This would create a direct connection between Iran and Afghanistan and would provide a shorter and more efficient route for trade and transportation between the two countries
The development of a direct railway connection between Iran and China through Afghanistan would have a significant impact on the region. The connection would create a new trade route between the two countries, reducing transportation costs and time. It would also open up new markets for Iranian and Chinese goods and services
The Feasibility of Building the Wakhan Railway
Given the geography of the Pamir Mountains, building rail infrastructure in the Wakhan region can be difficult and expensive. However, there are many examples of projects that have been completed in similar and even more geographically complex areas. For example, the Karakoram Mountains, where the Karakoram Highway was built using 1960s and 1970s technology, and the Pamir Mountains, where the Wakhan Corridor is located, are similar in terms of geography and topography. A cursory comparison of the two regions shows that it is possible to create rail infrastructure in the Wakhan region given the road and tunnel construction technologies that are available in China today
The cost of the Wakhan railway project would be reasonable compared to the $794 million budget for the Karakoram Highway or the $4.2 billion cost to build 1,600 kilometers of the China-Tibet Railway, which opened in 2006. Additionally, projects in similar areas have come online in recent years, which makes the possibility of creating communication infrastructure in Wakhan even more accessible. The Lawri Tunnel, the first phase of the Chitral-Tajikistan highway, was completed in 2017. Five bridges have been built on the Panj River in the Wakhan region since 2002, a road was built in western Wakhan by the Chinese Army in 2009, and the Ashkamish-Bark to Faizabad roads show that it will be possible to develop rail infrastructure in the Wakhan region. In general, with the development of road construction technologies in the present era, geographic complexity cannot be considered a sufficient reason to deem the construction of a route impossible
Currently, countries such as Pakistan and Tajikistan are working to use the Wakhan Corridor as a land bridge to connect Central Asia to the ports of Pakistan. The Tajik government announced in 2013 that the necessary infrastructure for this project, including bridges and roads, had been built in Tajikistan and Pakistan has prepared routes that connect the cities of Islamabad and Peshawar to Chitral
The cost of building a railway through the Wakhan Corridor is estimated to be $24 million. If the project is completed, it will connect Central Asia and Afghanistan to the southern ports of Pakistan. This could potentially reduce the importance of the Chabahar port for these countries
Conclusion
The creation of a direct rail connection between Iran and China would make Iran a key player in the Afro-Eurasian transit flow, turning it into a bridge to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Europe. The railway would also provide security and stability for Afghanistan as a development corridor, and shortly, it would create the necessary conditions for the formation of a strategic alliance between China, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan in the heart of Asia. This would mean a weakening of the ability of Western powers to play a role in the heart of Asia to influence China, Russia, and Iran
According to some Chinese analysts, if such an alliance is formed with Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan at the heart of Asia, a stable island will be formed in the region, which will ultimately lead to the loss of the ability of the United States and the Western axis to confront Russia and China in this region
Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of development corridors and the planning of projects such as the direct rail connection between Iran and China through Afghanistan, in addition to affecting the geo-economic trends of Asia, also has geopolitical dimensions and can lead to the entry of Asian countries into a new stage of unity using the tools of development corridors
Source: Iranian Diplomacy