Peshawar is the capital of KPK – Khyber Pakhtun Kha, the capital of Peshawar division, district, and tehsil. It is located on the left bank of the Bara River, 11 miles from Jamrud, at the entrance to the Khyber Pass. The area of the district is 1257 km (485 sq mi).
The population is 4.7 million and the city is 3.7 million. The city of Peshawar is located 9 miles east of Bab Khyber. Rawalpindi is 104 miles, 190 miles from Kabul, 40 miles from Kohat, and 41 miles from Mardan.
The old city was enclosed in a wall with sixteen gates in front of the high mound of Qila Bala Hissar. The order and names of these doors are as follows.
- Kabli Gate
- Inner City (Assamese) Gate
- Court Gate
- Riti Gate
- Rampura Gate
- Hashtnagri Gate
- Lahore Gate
- Ganj Gate
- Yakatoot Gate
- Kohati Gate
- Sarki Gate
- Sarucha Gate
- Kasar Asiya Gate
- Ram Das Gate
- Dabgri Gate
- Bajauri Gate.
In the ancient city, settlements were built inside the compound and mines under control. Such corners and neighborhoods can still be seen in Peshawar. Kande Reshma Gran, Kandehap Bazaar, Bazaar Misgaran, Bazaar Batir Bazaar, Chowk Yadgar, Jahangirpura, Qissa Khawani, Ganj Karimpura, Gore Gathari, Mori Mohalla are the areas of the old city.
The first mention of Peshawar in history was the state of Gandhara. One of the two separate routes through which Alexander’s troops reached the Indus in 326 was the Khyber Pass. After Alexander’s return, Buddhism spread to Peshawar and Kabul.
Pashtuns came here in the late seventh century. As soon as they arrived, they snatched the plains from the rulers of Lahore to the Indus River. Peshawar came under the control of the Ghaznavids in the 10th century AD and until the first quarter of the eleventh century; Mahmud Ghaznavi kept Peshawar as a cantonment during his invasions of India.
In 1505, Babar attacked on the way to Khyber Pass. He also made Swat and Bajaur his subjects. But the tribes could not be completely controlled. His grandson Akbar built military forts at various places in Sidani during his reign to quell the tribal riots.
Yousafzai at the same time Riots broke out between the Mandir and Khattak tribes. They cut off the route to Delhi and Afghanistan and occupied the entire plain for a while. Aurangzeb Alamgir struggled to subdue them for two years.
His successors later conquered the area. In 1738, Peshawar was captured by Parna Darshah. After his death, the Saduzai Durranis established their government in Kandahar under Ahmad Shah Abdali and took full control of Peshawar.
In 1815, the whole area came under Sikh control. In 1818, Ranjit Singh appointed Hari Singh Talwa as the ruler of Peshawar. During the reign of the Sikhs, Peshawar was greatly conquered. Many houses were demolished and villages outside the city were wiped out.
The gardens were deserted. Wells and irrigation canals were destroyed. The siege of the fort turned into a ruin. Peshawar’s population is less than half moved to other provinces.
From 1938 to 1942, the administration was in the hands of a British general. In 1849, the Peshawar Valley was annexed by the British and Peshawar was made a district of the Punjab Province.
When the K.P.K was formed in 1901, Peshawar became the capital of the new province. The city of Peshawar has developed a lot since the formation of Pakistan. And a large university, law college, education college, medical college, engineering college, and commerce, arts, and science colleges have also been established.
Peshawar also has the best airport in Pakistan. There are many historical mosques here, including Mahabat Khan Mosque, Ganj Ali Khan Mosque, Dilawar Khan Mosque, and many others best places to visit in Peshawar.
The people of Peshawar are hospitable, lively, and adhere to the tenets of Islam as much as possible. They have great respect for the feet, the poor, the murshids, the dervishes, and the saints.
The city of Peshawar covers a total area of 215 square kilometers and has a population of over 2.2 million. The influx of Afghan refugees has increased capacity and environmental and economic issues.
The district has three tehsils, Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda. Mardan District and Malakand Agency are located. Mohammad Agency is located in the northwest, Khyber Agency in the west, and Kohat District in the south.
In the east, the Indus River separates Peshawar District from Attock District in the Punjab Province.
Read More: History Of Quetta, The Captial Of Balochistan