Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Location of Nowshera District (highlighted in yellow) within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Nowshera (Pashto: نوښار) (Urdu: نوشہرہ) - known locally as Nowkhaar is the chief city of Nowshera District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is also one of the largest cities of the province^[1] and lies on the Grand Trunk Road 27 miles due east of Peshawar^[2] at 34°0'55N 71°58'29E.

Overview

Nowshera city is notable for its colonial era cantonment, which is located at 33°59'48N 72°0'47E^[3] and is home to the Pakistan Army School of Artillery, School of ASC, ASC centre, Armour centre and School of Armour. The area is the home of many Pakhtun tribes, including the Babars, Yousafzais, Awan, Kaka Khels,Manki khel and Khattak. (It is a matter of debate whether Kaka Khels qualify as a Pashtun tribe as they are a family group with affiliation to one progenitor, Kaka Sahib – but it is not known if he was a Pashtun – Mian or Miah are the descendents of Kaka Sahib.) Khattak is the predominant tribe, making up 65% of the population of the District. The GT Road is the main road connecting villages and towns across the District. The town is also at the junction of Peshawar and Swat Road.

Nowshera is the only district of Pakistan with three cantonments, namely Nowshera Cantonment, Risalpur Cantonment and Cherat Cantonment.^{[citation needed]}

History

During British rule, Nowshera was a town and cantonment as well as tehsil of Peshawar District (later Peshawar Division). The town was on the route of the North-Western Railway. The population according to the 1901 census of India was 9,518.

The Imperial Gazetteer of India describes the cantonment as follows:^[2]

The cantonment stretches along the right bank of the Kābul river on a sandy plain, 3 miles in diameter, and is surrounded by low hills on all sides except the north, which is open towards the river. The garrison now consists of one British infantry regiment, two Native cavalry and four infantry regiments, a mountain battery, and a bearer corps, belonging to the Peshāwar division of the Northern Command. The Kābul river is crossed by a permanent bridge of boats, whence roads lead to Mardān and Chārsadda. The iron road and railway bridge across the river was opened on December 1, 1903. The village of Naushahra Khurd, west of the cantonment, and the large village of Naushahra Kalān, on the north bank of the Kābul, are both outside cantonment limits. The head-quarters of the Naushahra tahsīl, with the police station, are in the former, 3 miles from the cantonment. The town contains a Government dispensary and a vernacular middle school, maintained by the District board.

Major Tribes

The major tribes in the district include the Khattak, especially their sub-tribe Akora Khattak, Babar, Yousafzai, Awan, Kakakhel Akhunkhel Miangan (Syed) and Afridi. Akbarpura is being famous for the shrines of Sufis. Among these shrines are Akhund Panju Baba, Nanga Baba, Nadan Shaheed. Every day hundreds of people do visits these shrines to pay their respect to the Sufis. Syed Abdul Wahab alias Akhund Panju Baba aka Baba Sahib was a famous Sufi and preacher of Islam. Thousands of Hindus embrace Islam on his hand. Baba sahib was migrated from Kalu Khan Sawabi area to Akbarpura, he started his teachings and preaching from the Misri Pura area of Akbarpura, where today his tomb is present. Baba Sahib Family is Syed and locally being called as Akhun Khel Miangaan which still exists in the area. The Miangaan family is carrying on the Baba Sahib tasks of Preaching Islam till today, the present Gaddi Nasheen of the Akhund Panju Baba shrine is Syed Shamshad Ali Shah locally known as Pir Sb.

The Kakakhels are a prominent Syed clan of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa. Their roots reach to Hazrat Ali bin Ismail bin Imame-Jafer Sadiq. Kakakhels are descendants of the Islamic Sufi (wali) Syed Kastir Gul (also known as Kaka Sahib), and Sheikh Rahamkar - a student of Sheikh Hazrat Akhun Adeen/Adyan Seljuki. Kastir Gul was affectionately known as "Kakasahib", and his descendants are known as Kakakhels - meaning "the sons of Kakasahib". The clan originated in a small village known as "Kakasaib" in Nowshera

References

1. ^ "Geography". Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. http://www.khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk/aboutus/Geography.php. Retrieved August 29, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Naushahra Town - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 18, p. 417.
3. ^ Nowshera Cantonment - Falling Rain Genomics

External links

• Nowshera

See also

• Nowshera Cantonment
• Nowshera District

Coordinates: 34°0′55″N 71°58′29″E / 34.01528°N 71.97472°E / 34.01528; 71.97472