Near the narrowest point of the pass, about 15 Km from Jamrud is Ali Masjid and a large fort and a british cemetry. The valley walls bear insignia of British regiments that have served here. In the cemetery here are the graves of British soldiers killed in the Second Afghan War of 1879. This was the famous battle of Ali Masjid. Regimental insignia are carved and painted on to the rock faces at several places along the road, with the Gordon Highlanders, the South Wales Borderers, and the Royal Sussex, Cheshire and Dorset regiments standing in one doughty group. After the gorge, the pass opens out into a wide fertile valley dotted with Pashtun villages. True to form, however, these villages look more like forts, with high, crenellated mud walls running between watch-towers pierced with narrow gun slits.
The Ali Masjid Fort is located at the narrowest portion of the Khyber Pass, through which only a loaded mule or Camel could pass till as late as the mid nineteenth century. The fort was built by the British in 1890. The ruins of a Buddhist Stupa can also be seen in the area. There is also a mosque and a shrine in the memory of Hazrat Ali (RA), who visited this place according to a local tradition. There is also a huge boulder which carries the marks of a hand believed to be that of Hazrat Ali (RA). Even Khyber was named after the Khyber of Arabia, where Hazrat Ali (RA) accomplished a great deed of valour.
Playability: 2
Not unplayable (a 1) but close because its a castle builder. This castle is very detailed and extremely well done on eyecandy buildings. However, you will never find out how tough it is because this is a puny "castle builder"! Playing it is watching it work endlessly on and on. No Bueno! Put some fighting in it and flip it into a invasion with some original attacker combinations and you would easily get a 4 or 5 from me.
Balance: 2
2 balance because there is too little to do and play to be fun IMHO. See above for hints on making this map outstanding piece of art with a FUNCTION. Add a simple economic goal at least.
Creativity: 5
This is a 5 because you spent alot of time making the eyecandy features. That shows creative talent and should be commended with a 5 score here. I like the stockpiles and mills.
Map Design: 2
Got to stay low with a 2 here because without any goals, I didnt play this longer than just a couple of mins to look at everything and check for errors.
Story/Instructions: 3
Great work and better than most maps. However, weak enough to only get a 3. Think more about a good story for the invasion version.
Additional Comments:
"Thumbs Down" because without goals this is just a simple eyecandy map. A jip with nothing to do. Category choice doesnt seem to fit this map. Its a great looking map nonetheless.