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45-585: Shahbaz Garhi , or Shahbazgarhi , is a village and historic site located in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan . It is at an altitude of 293 metres (964 feet). It is about 12 km from Mardan city . It has mountains, green trees, open fields and a small river in the centre of the village. In old times all these facilities made it attractive for the army and travelers to dig in their tents here, stay for few days and organize their further strategy. The historic Stones of Ashoka (commonly known to

90-603: A Pashtun tribe ) were paid by the Pakistani government to keep the area safe. In January 2009, Pakistan sealed off the bridge as part of a military offensive against Taliban guerrillas. This military operation was mainly focused on Jamrud, a district on the Khyber road. The target was to “dynamite or bulldoze homes belonging to men suspected of harboring or supporting Taliban militants or carrying out other illegal activities”. This increasingly unstable situation in northwest Pakistan made

135-413: A distinct change in the life of the villagers who construct pacca houses of cement, bricks and timber. A Tandoor (Oven) is also found for baking bread in many houses and some time women of three or four houses assembled on one Tandoor (Oven) for baking bread on their turn. The houses have huge compound walls around with gates. Chairs and tables are used in the houses of well-to-do persons whereas others use

180-413: A variety of fauna including 18 mammals, 120 birds and 3 reptiles. As of the 2023 census , Mardan district has 400,859 households and a population of 2,744,898. The district has a sex ratio of 105.44 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 55.79%: 68.31% for males and 42.66% for females. 786,360 (28.69% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 453,342 (16.52%) live in urban areas. Pashto

225-616: Is a part of the ancient Peshawar valley . The whole area was once part of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara , the remains of which are scattered throughout the district. The armies of the Alexander the Great reached the Indus Valley by two separate routes. One through the Khyber Pass and the other through Kunar , Bajaur , Swat, and Buner in 326 BCE. After Alexander's death, the valley came under

270-552: Is also popular and is liked by most of the people. The oranges are a local famous fruit which is grown in Rustam valley in Palay, Palo Dheray,pirsai, Baroch and Malandray villages. These oranges are transported to various parts of the country. A new access road to these villages is being constructed via Rustam through Kaludheri Srakabroona Baringan Malandry to Buner District . The villages are divided into Kandis have congested house. Each Kandi

315-425: Is further occupied by sub-section. The division of Kandis are on the pattern of agricultural lands. Their houses are generally consists of two or three rooms and a courtyard turned as ghollai and verandah. The cattle and poultry are also accommodated beside the shelter for family. Each Kandi of the village has its own mosque and its own Maulvi and a place of meeting or for public assembly called Hujra. In most cases it

360-518: Is named after Mardan city, which is also the headquarters of the district. The district is famous for its agriculture industry and its archaeological sites, specifically of Takht-i-Bhai , Jamal Garhi and Sawal Dher . The main tribe of Mardan is Yusufzai , that contribute more than half of the district population, there are also the more minor settled tribes such as the Mohmand , Utmankhel , Tareen and Khalil . The literal meaning of Mardan

405-595: Is one of the major Economic Zone of this project which strengthen the Economy of Mardan. The district of Mardan is administratively subdivided into five Tehsils . The district is represented in the provincial assembly by eight elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies: District Mardan is represented by three MNAs in national assembly. 34°15′00″N 72°15′00″E  /  34.25000°N 72.25000°E  / 34.25000; 72.25000 Khyber Pass Following Asian Highway 1 ( AH1 ),

450-455: Is the "Land of Brave Men". The district lies from 34° 05' to 34° 32' north latitudes and 71" 48' to 72° 25' east longitudes. It is bordered with Buner on the east, Malakand on the north, Swabi on the south east, Nowshera on the south and the Charsadda and Mohmand districts on the west and north west respectively. The total area of the district is 1632 square kilometres. Mardan District

495-454: Is the property of elders of the Kandi who is expected to feed and give shelter to the visitors and travellers. These Hujras are commonly used for the settlement of public disputes/business beside public meetings. Residents of Kandi assemble there to smoke, hear news of the day and discuss their problems and politics. Nowadays the people in service abroad have accumulated sufficient wealth which brought

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540-591: The Anglo-Afghan Wars , with control shifting between the British, Sikhs, and Afghans. After the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880), the Khyber region came under British control, and the policy of paying local tribes to maintain the route's security was implemented. The British invested in infrastructure development, building roads, railways, and telegraph lines through the pass. For strategic reasons, after

585-575: The First World War , the government of British India built a heavily engineered railway through the Pass. The Khyber Pass Railway , from Jamrud, near Peshawar, to the Afghan border near Landi Kotal was opened in 1925. A common phrase during British colonial period described the length of what was then British India as "Khyber to Kanyakumari ". During World War II , concrete dragon's teeth were erected on

630-674: The Kharosthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in the subcontinent . They were constructed during the 3rd Century BC (272-231 BC), during the reign of Ashoka , the famous Mauryan emperor, inscribed in the Kharoshthi script. The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category. The translation of

675-677: The Kushan era , the Khyber Pass was not a widely used trade route. The pass has been traversed by military expeditions launched by empires such as the Achaemenids and Sassanids, as well as by nomadic invaders from Central Asia, including the Saka, Yuezhi, and White Huns. Indian empires rarely extended their control beyond the pass, with the Maurya king Čandragupta being an exception. The Khyber Pass has witnessed

720-759: The 11th century, the Dilzak Pashtuns had appeared in the valley. At that time, the Peshawar valley was under the control of the rulers of Lahore . The Dilzak Pashtuns joined the Gakkhars who held the country between the Indus and the Jhelum rivers and compelled the Lahore rulers to cede to them the hill country, west of the Indus and south of the Kabul River . In the 10th century

765-520: The 3rd Century BC, during the reign of Ashoka , the famous Mauryan emperor. The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category. Mardan District Mardan District ( Pashto : مردان ولسوالۍ , Urdu : ضلع مردان ) is a district in the Mardan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan . The district

810-539: The Afghan theater of conflict since the US started the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Almost 80 percent of the NATO and US supplies that were brought in by road were transported through the Khyber Pass. It was also used to transport civilians from the Afghan side to the Pakistani one. Until the end of 2007, the route had been relatively safe, since the tribes living there (mainly the Afridi ,

855-587: The British took over. The British then went after the Sikhs and the Sikhs were defeated by the British in the Second Sikh War . Major Lawrence was appointed first Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar. From that time Peshawar city and Attock regions only (This does not include most of what is Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa today) became an administrative district under the Punjab Government. In 1909, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (the then NWFP)

900-664: The Khyber Pass, Gandhara (in present-day Pakistan) became a regional center of trade connecting Bagram in Afghanistan to Taxila in Pakistan, adding Indian luxury goods such as ivory, pepper, and textiles to the Silk Road commerce. During the Islamic period, Muslim rulers, including Mahmud Ghaznavi , Muhammad of Ghor , and Babur , used the Khyber and nearby passes for their invasions of Indian subcontinent. The Mughals attempted to control

945-510: The US and NATO broaden supply routes, through Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). Even the option of supplying material through the Iranian far southeastern port of Chabahar was considered. In 2010, the already complicated relationship with Pakistan (always accused by the US of hosting the Taliban in this border area without reporting it) became tougher after the NATO forces, under

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990-655: The area came under the control of Sultan Sabuktigin who defeated Raja Jaipal, the Hindu ruler of Lahore. Sabuktgin's son Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni made this area the rallying point for his numerous raids into the interior of India. In the 12th century the Ghaurid empire of the Turkic origin overthrew the Ghaznavis and the era of Ghaznavis came to an end. In 1505, the Mughal emperor Babur invaded

1035-508: The area through Khyber Pass. Baber swiftly captured the area. The people of Swat in those days were of mix origins. On one side of the river lived Pashtuns along with Gujjar , Syriake people of whom many were Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims. In the Battle of Bajaur in 1519, Baber defeated a Gibar Swati Tajik dynasty. Due to the military strength of the Yusufzai, Babur needed security from their location in

1080-649: The centuries, Pashtun clans, particularly the Afridis and the Afghan Shinwari , have regarded the Pass as their own preserve and have levied a toll on travellers for safe conduct. Since this has long been their main source of income, resistance to challenges to the Shinwari's authority has often been fierce. During the War in Afghanistan , the Khyber Pass was a major route for resupplying military armament and food to NATO forces in

1125-469: The days of the hippie trail , taking a bus or car from Kabul to the Afghan border. At the Pakistani frontier post, travellers were advised not to wander away from the road, as the location was a barely controlled Federally Administered Tribal Area . Then, after customs formalities, a quick daylight drive through the Pass was made. Monuments left by British Indian Army units from the time of British colonialism, as well as hillside forts, could be viewed from

1170-504: The destruction of more than 29 oil tankers and trucks and the killing of several soldiers. In August 2011, the activity at the Khyber pass was again halted by the Khyber Agency administration due to the more possible attacks of the insurgency over the NATO forces, which had suffered a period of large number of assaults over the trucks heading to supply the NATO and ISAF coalitions all over the frontier line. A number of locations around

1215-415: The district is bounded by small hills. In the district, the highest points in these hills are Pajja or Sakra, 2056 meters high and Garo or Pato, 1816 meters high. The south western half of the district is mostly composed of fertile plain with low hills strewn across it. It is generally accepted that this plain once formed the bed of a lake which was gradually filled up by the load of the river flowing into from

1260-489: The highway. The area of the Khyber Pass has been connected with a counterfeit arms industry that makes various types of weapons known to gun collectors as Khyber Pass copies using local steel and blacksmiths' forges . To the north of the Khyber Pass lies the country of the Shalmani tribe and Mullagori tribe . To the south is Afridi Tirah , while the inhabitants of villages in the Pass itself are Afridi clansmen. Throughout

1305-589: The hills that threatened his empire. As part of a treaty of peace between Babur and the Yusufzai tribe to establish mutual security and ties, Babur then married Bibi Mubarika . During the Aurangzeb regime, the Pashtun tribes revolted and Aurangzeb himself led his army to re-establish his authority as struggle which lasted for two years, he finally subdued the Pashtuns. In the same war the prominent rebel leader, Darya Khan Afridi

1350-618: The month of August the rainiest month is 12S.8Smm. Towards the end of cold weather there are occasional thunder storms and hail storms. The relative humidity is quite high throughout the year while maximum humidity has been recorded in December i.e. 73.33 percent. The present flora of the irrigated areas is exotic. The common trees are mesquite, ber, different species of acacia and jand. The most common shrubs are tarmariax, articulata, spands, akk, small red poppy, spera, pueghambrigul, drab grass, spera, eamelthorl and pohli chaulai etc. The district has

1395-453: The native people by the name of Hkule Gutt), and other sites like Mekha Sanda (male buffalo, female buffalo) are worth visiting. Shahbaz Garhi is situated on the junction of three ancient routes; Situated on the modern Mardan - Swabi Road, the town was once a thriving Buddhist city surrounded by monasteries and stupas . The town is the location of ancient Indian rock-inscriptions that are cut into two large rock boulders and written in

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1440-503: The ordinary cot (Charpoy). Most of the people are farmers in profession in villages. They are engaged in agriculture either directly or indirectly. Industrial labour has increased after the establishment of factories in different places of the district. Some people are engaged in-business and Government service also. Mardan is far famous for its economy and business mind people. Recent project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor bring more importance to this era. The border of Mardan, Rashakai

1485-485: The pass but faced resistance from local tribes. Ahmad Shah Durrani was the last major Islamic conqueror to cross the pass, though his successors' campaigns had limited lasting impact. Finally, Sikhs under Ranjit Singh captured the Khyber Pass in 1834. In the 19th century, the British East India Company aimed to secure the Khyber Pass against potential Russian threats. The region was contested during

1530-453: The pretext of mitigating the Taliban's power over this area, executed an attack with drones over the Durand line , passing the frontier of Afghanistan and killing three Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan answered by closing the pass on 30 September which caused a convoy of several NATO trucks to queue at the closed border. This convoy was attacked by extremists apparently linked to Al Qaida which caused

1575-559: The rule of Chandragupta , who ruled the valley from 297 to 321 BCE. During the reign of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka (the grandson of Chandragupta), Buddhism became the religion of the Peshawar Valley. The valley saw the revival of Hinduism after the Greeks took over in the time of King Mehanda. The Scythians and Indians followed and retained control of the valley till the 7th century CE. By

1620-510: The spread of Greek influence into India and the expansion of Buddhism in the opposite direction. Despite military activities, trade continued to thrive there. The Khyber Pass became a critical part of the Silk Road , a major trade route from East Asia to Europe. The Parthian Empire fought for control of passes such as this to profit from the trade in silk, jade, rhubarb, and other luxuries moving from China to Western Asia and Europe. Through

1665-659: The summit of the pass at the town of Landi Kotal is five kilometres (three miles) inside Pakistan, descending 460 m (1,510 ft) into the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud , about 30 km (19 mi) from the Afghan border by traversing part of the Spin Ghar mountains. Historical invasions of the Indian subcontinent have been predominantly through the Khyber Pass, such as those of Cyrus , Darius I , Genghis Khan , and later Mongols such as Duwa , Qutlugh Khwaja and Kebek . Prior to

1710-586: The surrounding hills. From the foothills the plain runs down at first with a steep slope which carried the rain water to the lower levels and ultimately to the Kabul river. Generally stream flows from north to the south. Most of the streams drain into Kabul river. Kalpani, an important stream of the district rises in the Baizai and flowing southwards join Kabul river. Other important streams which join Kalpani are Baghiari Khawar on

1755-454: The text is written on a board nearby the rocks. The sight is a famous tourist spot for people who are interested in history. The town is the location of ancient rock-inscriptions that are cut into two large rock boulders and written in the Kharosthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in South Asia. They were constructed during

1800-419: The tract is humid and heat is oppressive (Heat Index 69 on 7 July 2006). However, a rapid fat! of temperature has been recorded from October onwards. The coldest months are December and January. The mean minimum temperature recorded for the month of January the coldest month is 0.5 °C (32.9 °F). Most of the rainfall occurs in the month of July, August, December and January. Maximum rainfall recorded for

1845-502: The valley floor due to British fears of a German tank invasion of India. Following the partition of British India in 1947, the Khyber Pass became part of Pakistan. Passenger services through the pass have been intermittent, with the Khyber Steam Safari, a joint venture between a private company and Pakistan Railways, operating in the 1990s. The Pass became widely known to thousands of Westerners and Japanese who traveled it in

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1890-519: The west and Muqam Khawar, coming from Sudham valley and Naranji Khawar from the Narangi hills on the left. The summer season is extremely hot. A steep rise of temperature observed from May to June. Even July, August and September record quite high temperatures. During May and June dust storms are frequent at night. The temperature reaches to its maximum in the month of June i.e. 43.5 °C (110.3 °F). Due to intensive cultivation and artificial irrigation

1935-476: Was constituted and in 1937, Peshawar district was bifurcated into Peshawar and Mardan districts. Britain tried its best to include FATA, Dir, Swat and other region into Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but they suffered heavy setback and finally came to an agreement in the 1920s that Britain will no longer bother the tribes and Swat region. Mardan district may broadly be divided into two parts, north eastern mountenious area and south western plain area. The entire northern side of

1980-475: Was killed and the revolt was crushed. Ranjit Singh occupied the Attock region in 1814 and Peshawar city in 1822. He left Hari Singh Nalwa in command and withdrew himself to Lahore. Peshawar city, Nowshera and Hazara were under Sikh rule for a while. Hazara was set free by Tanoli clan from Sikhs but fell to Britain in 1838. Peshawar city also fell to Pashtuns in 1834 and Nalwa died in the Battle of Jamrud . Soon

2025-422: Was the predominant language, spoken by 99.07% of the population. The most common diet of the people is bread which is mainly made of wheat flour but maize bread is also eaten. Generally the foods are spicy. The people of the area are fond of meat, especially various forms of beef cooked in shape of chapli kebab, seekh kebab and tikkas etc. Mostly black tea with milk is taken as hot drink but Qahwa (green tea)

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