Peshawar
Peshawar is a city in Pakistan, and it is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With a population of 1,970,042 according to the 2017 census, Peshawar is the largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the sixth-largest in Pakistan.
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پېښور | |
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Valley of Peshawar | |
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Etymology
Peshawar is derived from Purushapura which means city of men (In Sanskrit Purusha means Man and Pura means settlement). It is also locally pronounced as Pekhawar.
History
Peshawar is in a valley near the historic Khyber Pass, close to the border with Afghanistan, Peshawar's recorded history dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it the oldest city in Pakistan and one of the oldest in South Asia. Peshawar was the capital of the ancient Kushan Empire and also served as the capital for the Durrani Empire.
Geography
The city has always been very important as it served as a trading center during the Mughal Empire. It is connected to important places in the country by road, rail and air.
Demographics
The main language spoken in Peshawar is Pashto while some speak Hindko. Urdu is understood throughout the city.
Religions
Peshawar is mostly Muslim which make 98.5% of the city's population in the 1998 census. Christians make up the second largest religious group with around 20,000 adherents, while over 7,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community live in Peshawar. Hindus and Sikhs are also found in the city − though most of them migrated to India following the Partition of India in 1947.
Afghan refugees
In 2005, Peshawar district was home to 611,501 Afghan refugees — who made-up 19.7% of the district's total population and 20% of all Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Crime
Peshawar has been attacked by Islamist terrorists many times. They include a car bombing at a market in 2009, a suicide bombing at a church in 2013 and a school massacre in 2014. Over 100 people were killed in each of those attacks.
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A vintage photo postcard of the main street, Peshawar. Digitized by Panjab Digital Library.
In ancient Indian subcontinent, the city of Purushapura (which became Peshawar), was established near the Gandharan capital city of Pushkalavati
The nearby Takht-i-Bahi monastery was established in 46 CE, and was once a major centre of Buddhist learning.
Peshawar's Kanishka stupa once kept sacred Buddhist relics in the Kanishka casket.
ClockTower renovated in 2018.
Bestowed by Mohabbat Khan bin Ali Mardan Khan in 1630, the white-marble façade of the Mohabbat Khan Mosque is one of Peshawar's most iconic sights.
The interior of the Mohabbat Khan Mosque is elaborately frescoed with elegant and intricately detailed floral and geometric motifs.
Peshawar's Sunehri Mosque dates from the Mughal era.
Peshawar's Bala Hissar fort was once the royal residence of the Durrani Afghan kings.
The British-era Islamia College was built in an Indo-Saracenic Revival style.
