The Panjshir Valley (also spelled Panjsheer or Panjsher; Persian: درهٔ پنجشير‎ – Dare-ye Panjšēr; literally Valley of the Five Lions) is a valley in north-central Afghanistan, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range.^[1] It is divided by the Panjshir River. The valley is home to more than 940,000 people, including Afghanistan’s largest concentration of ethnic Tajiks.^[2] In April 2004, it became the heart of the new Panjshir Province, having previously been part of Parwan Province.^[3]

It was the site of the Panjshir offensives fought between the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviets against the mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War from 1980 to 1985, when local commander Ahmad Shah Massoud successfully defended the valley from being taken. The valley again witnessed renewed fighting during the 1996–2001 civil war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance under the command of Massoud, where he again defended it from being overrun by the Taliban.^[4] As of 2016, the Panjshir Valley is considered one of Afghanistan’s safest regions.^[5]

The Panjshir Valley (also spelled Panjsheer or Panjsher; Persian: درهٔ پنجشير‎ – Dare-ye Panjšēr; literally Valley of the Five Lions) is a valley in north-central Afghanistan, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range.^[1] It is divided by the Panjshir River. The valley is home to more than 940,000 people, including Afghanistan’s largest concentration of ethnic Tajiks.^[2] In April 2004, it became the heart of the new Panjshir Province, having previously been part of Parwan Province.^[3]

It was the site of the Panjshir offensives fought between the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviets against the mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War from 1980 to 1985, when local commander Ahmad Shah Massoud successfully defended the valley from being taken. The valley again witnessed renewed fighting during the 1996–2001 civil war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance under the command of Massoud, where he again defended it from being overrun by the Taliban.^[4] As of 2016, the Panjshir Valley is considered one of Afghanistan’s safest regions.^[5]

Economy and natural resources[edit]

The Panjshir Valley has the potential to become a major centre of emerald mining. As early as the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder commented on gemstones from the region.^[6] In the Middle Ages, Panjshir was famed for its silver mining and the Saffarids and Samanids minted their coins there.^[7] As of 1985, crystals upwards of 190 carats (38 g) had been found there, reported to rival in quality the finest crystals of the Muzo mine in Colombia.^[6] American reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan has sparked a development boom in the valley with the construction of new modern roads and a new radio tower that allows valley residents to pick up radio signals from the Afghan capital, Kabul.^[8] The valley has the potential of being an energy hub for Afghanistan, through construction of several electric dams. Rewat locality can be the site of the first electric dam. The valley can make the region around the Afghan capital electricity self-reliant. The construction of an asphalted road to the Badakhshan Province can contribute to the prosperity of the valley. Tourism can constitute another major source of income.

^{Natural Emerald Stone}