Treaty of Gandamak
Gandamak, Afghanistan
What happened
During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, British forces had invaded Afghanistan. At a British army camp near the village of Gandamak, about 110 km east of Kabul, the new amir agreed that Britain would control Afghanistan's foreign affairs. Britain also received the Khyber Pass and several valleys, and a British mission was allowed to live in Kabul.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Historians consider it one of the most humiliating treaties ever accepted by an Afghan ruler. It ended the first phase of the war.
What came next
In September 1879 the British mission in Kabul was attacked and Cavagnari fell, and fighting began again. After 1880 the British confirmed the treaty and recognised Abdur Rahman as amir, but dropped the plan for a resident in Kabul.
Did you know?
The treaty also allowed a telegraph line between Kabul and British India.
Timeline
- 26 May 1879Treaty signed near Gandamak.
- 30 May 1879Ratified by the Viceroy, Lord Lytton.
- 3 September 1879The British mission in Kabul is attacked; the war resumes.
- 22 July 1880Abdur Rahman begins his rule as amir.