The Afghan Boundary Commission (or Joint Anglo-Russian Boundary Commission) was a joint effort by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

to determine the northern border of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The Boundary Commission traveled and documented the northern border area during 1884, 1885, and 1886. Yate, Charles Edward.
Northern Afghanistan; Or, Letters from the Afghan Boundary Commission
' Edinburgh & London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1888. The commission was accompanied by Kazi Saad-ud-Din as the representative of the Amir of Afghanistan, but the Afghans did not have a real say in the matter. Tensions between Britain, Russia and Afghanistan grew in 1885, especially in the aftermath of the Panjdeh incident, in which several hundred Afghans were killed by a Russian army, witnessed by several members of the commission. From March until September, it seemed likely that this would lead to war between Russia and Britain, with the Commission at the epicentre (Britain controlled Afghanistan's foreign affairs following the Treaty of Gandamak). However, war was eventually averted. Between 1885 and 1888, the Afghan Boundary Commission agreed the Russians would relinquish the most remote territory captured in their military advances but they would retain Panjdeh. The agreement delineated a permanent northern Afghan frontier at the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

, with the loss of a large amount of territory, especially around Panjdeh. Some letters compiled by Charles Edward Yate "describe the sojourn of the British Commission around

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

during the summer of 1885; the subsequent meeting of the joint British and Russian Commissions in November of that year, and the progress of the demarcation of the frontier up to the time of their separation in September 1886; the return of the British Commission through

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

to India in October 1886; the negotiations at St. Petersburg during the summer of 1887; the final settlement and demarcation of the frontier during the winter of 1887, and return through Russian Trans-Caspian territory in February 1888".

Members of the Commission

* Peter Lumsden * Joseph West Ridgeway * Alexander Condie Stephen * Edward Law Durand * Charles Yate * William Merk * Thomas Holdich * St George Corbet Gore * Pelham James Maitland * Milo Talbot * William Hope Meiklejohn * James Aitchison * Carl Ludolf Griesbach * William Simpson * Havelock Charles

Publications

*''18 plates of ornamental tiles from the Afghan Boundary Commission'' (1884)

References

* Holdrich, T.H. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society
Afghan Boundary Commission, Geographical Notes
III, New Series vol. 7, 1885, p. 282.

External links

Photographs from the Afghan Boundary Commission, 1885-1887
Phototheca Afghanica
18 Plates of Ornamental Tiles from the Afghan Boundary Commission
1880s in Afghanistan Afghanistan–Russia relations Afghanistan–United Kingdom relations Russia–United Kingdom relations Great Game {{Afghanistan-geo-stub

Members of the Commission

Publications

See also

References

External links