South wall, Bala Hissar and Kabul Residency, 1879

Photograph by John Burke, 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880), 1879.

A view along the wall of the Bala Hissar fort towards the burnt-out Residency in Kabul. In July 1879, having negotiated the Treaty of Gandamak with the newly installed pro-British Emir Yakub Khan, whereby the presence of a British Resident in Kabul was agreed to, Sir Louis Cavagnari arrived to take up the post. Just two months later he and his mission were killed by Afghans and the Residency was destroyed. In response to this Major-General Frederick Roberts occupied Kabul and Yakub Khan was deposed before a popular rising forced Roberts to fall back to his base at Sherpur where he was besieged for three weeks by a huge Afghan force. On 23 December 1879, Roberts defeated a major Afghan attack and then reoccupied Kabul. The fortress was partially destroyed by his men in retaliation for the killing of the British Resident.

From an album of 101 photographs by John Burke.