Peshawar is the capital of KPK – Khyber Pakhtun Kha, the capital of Peshawar division, district, and tehsil. It is situated 11 miles from Jamrud at the Khyber Pass entrance. It covers an area of 1257 km (485 sq mi).
The city has a population of 3.7 million. Peshawar lies 9 miles east of Bab Khyber. Rawalpindi lies 104 miles away from Kabul, 190 miles away from Kabul, 40 from Kohat, and 41 miles distant from Mardan.
The wall that enclosed the old city contained sixteen gates, which were located in front of Qila Bala Hissar’s high mound. These doors were named and ordered as follows.
Kabli Gate
Inner City Gate (Assamese).
Court Gate
Rita 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.
Settlements were built within the old city’s compound, keeping the mines under control. These neighborhoods and corners can still be found in Peshawar. These areas are located in the old city: Kande Reshma Gran and Kandehap Bazaar.
Gandhara was the first to mention Peshawar in history. The Khyber Pass was one of two routes that Alexander’s troops used to reach the Indus in 326. Alexander’s return saw the spread of Buddhism to Peshawar and Kabul.
The arrival of Pashtuns in this area was late seventh century. They seized the land from the rulers at Lahore and took it to the Indus River. Peshawar was under the Ghaznavids from the 10th Century AD to the first quarter the 11th century. Mahmud Ghaznavi used Peshawar during his invasions into India as a cantonment.
Babar attacked the Khyber Pass in 1505. Swat and Bajaur were also made his subjects. The tribes were not completely under his control. To quell tribal riots, Akbar’s grandson built military forts in Sidani at different locations.
At the same time, Yousafzai was also involved in riots between Khattak and Mandir tribes. They blocked the road to Delhi and Afghanistan and occupied the whole plain for a time. Aurangzeb Alamgir fought to subdue them over two years.
Later, his successors retook the region. Parna Darshah captured Peshawar in 1738. The Saduzai Durranis, under Ahmad Shah Abdali, established their government in Kandahar and took complete control over Peshawar.
The entire area was under Sikh control in 1815. Ranjit Singh named Hari Singh Talwa the ruler of Peshawar in 1818. Peshawar was greatly conquered during the rule of the Sikhs. Many homes were destroyed and the villages around Peshawar were destroyed.
The gardens were abandoned. The wells and irrigation canals were destroyed. The fort was surrounded by mortars and was subsequently destroyed. Peshawar’s population has been reduced to less than half of what it was before the siege.
The British General was responsible for the administration from 1938 to 1942. In 1849, the Peshawar Valley was annexed by the British and Peshawar was made a district of the Punjab Province.
Peshawar was the capital of the new province when the K.P.K was established in 1901. Since the creation of Pakistan, Peshawar has seen a lot of development. A large university, law school, education college, and medical college have all been established. There are also commerce colleges and arts and science colleges.
Peshawar is also home to the most prestigious airport in Pakistan. You can visit many historic mosques in Peshawar, such as Mahabat Khan Mosque and Ganj Ali Khan Mosque.
Peshawar’s people are friendly, open-minded, and adhere to Islam as much as they can. They are very respectful of the feet, the poor, and the murshids, as well as the dervishes and saints.
Peshawar has a population exceeding 2.2 million and covers 215 km2. The influx from Afghanistan has led to increased capacity as well as economic and environmental issues.
Three tehsils are located in the district: Charsadda, Nowshera, and Peshawar. Mardan District is located, as well as Malakand Agency. Mohammad Agency can be found in the northwest. Khyber Agency can be found in the west. Kohat District is in the south.
In the east, Attock District in Punjab Province is separated by the Indus River.