The Salang tunnel built by the Institute of Techno Export (USSR) and the Afghan Ministry of Public Works, was begun in 1958 and completed in 1964.  With its completion the economy could flow more freely between the north and the south of Afghanistan.  The Salang pass, at 11,000 feet in the Hindu Kush Mountains, offers spectacular vistas.  Remnants of the fighting with Russia remain along the roadsides, including landmines that are still being cleared today.