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Even though the population is still largely poor and uneducated, recent years have seen major improvements in education, health and infrastructure. Manufacturing has also grown over the years and so has the financial sector where the town centre has become home to many national and some foreign banks. The town of Sheikh Maltoon has developed on the outskirts of Mardan city where the population is growing rapidly. |
Even though the population is still largely poor and uneducated, recent years have seen major improvements in education, health and infrastructure. Manufacturing has also grown over the years and so has the financial sector where the town centre has become home to many national and some foreign banks. The town of Sheikh Maltoon has developed on the outskirts of Mardan city where the population is growing rapidly. |
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Industries include a well-established Sugar Mill "The Premier Sugar Mill" (once the largest in Asia), situated in Mardan and the [[Pakistan Railways]] Locomotive Factory, which is located near Mardan. Some small sector industries of GUR (unrefined sugar),Tobbaco(generally in the valley of Katti Garhi and their prodeucers are Mr. Ghulam Bacha, Ajmeer |
Industries include a well-established Sugar Mill "The Premier Sugar Mill" (once the largest in Asia), situated in Mardan and the [[Pakistan Railways]] Locomotive Factory, which is located near Mardan. Some small sector industries of GUR (unrefined sugar),Tobbaco(generally in the valley of Katti Garhi and their prodeucers are Mr. Ghulam Bacha, dilbar shah, ghazan khan and Ajmeer Khan {Primary School Teacher in association with TATA Componey)} chips, soaps, marble, bricks are also present. |
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==Topography== |
==Topography== |
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Mardan
مردان
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|---|---|
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province |
| District | Mardan District |
| Tehsil | Mardan Tehsil |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Calling code | +92937 |
Mardan (Pashto مردان) (The city of Hospitality) is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in the Khyber pukhtoonkhwa Province, PukhtunkhwaofPakistan, Headquarter of Yousafzai tribe,the second largest populated city of NWFP.[1] It is located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E with an altitude of 283 metres (931 feet) lying the south-west of the district.[2]
It was part of the ancient Gandhara Civilization. Most of its land is agricultural. It has one of the world's best irrigation systems, which was laid down by the British government during British Rule of the subcontinent (1857–1947). There are still remains of the Gandhara Civilization, scattered in different areas of Mardan.
The area constituting Mardan district is a part of the Peshawar valley, which first appears in history as part of the Gandhara kingdom. The armies of Alexander The Great reached the Indus Valley by two separate routes, one through the Khyber Pass and the other personally led by Alexander through Kunar, Bajaur, Swat, and Buner in 326 BC. After Alexander's departure, the valley came under the rule of Chandragupta, who ruled the valley from 321 to 297 BC. During the reign of the Buddhist emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, Buddhism was the religion of the Peshawar Valley. The valley saw the revival of Brahmanism after the Greeks took over in the time of King Mehanda. The Scythians followed and retained control of the valley till the 7th century AD.
The dominant tribe is the Yousafzai (Pashto: يوسفزی, Urdu: یوسف زئی)(also Youssofzay, Yousafzai, Esapzey, Yousufi, or Yūsufi)(Sons of Joseph). A small number of Sayyads, Ghourghusht, Kakar, Daavi, Khattak, Utmankhel, Tanoli, Panjabi and Hindokowans are also present in the district. Mardan is inhabited largely by two sub-tribes of Yousafzai, Kamalzai, Baizai and Amazai. Kamalzais are divided into two main branches, Masharanzai, with chief town Toru and Kashranzai, with chief town Mardan. Amazais are divided into two main branches, the Doulatzai and Ismialzai.
Mardan is largely an agricultural area. The major crops are wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, maize, rice, rapeseed, mustard and various vegetable crops. Important fruits are orange, plum, peach, apricot, pear, rare mango and apple.
The main sources of the irrigation are the canals. The upper Swat canal irrigates, mostly, Mardan district and the lower Swat canal irrigate southwestern part of the district. Besides, irrigation is done by tube-wells and lift irrigation. Even though the population is still largely poor and uneducated, recent years have seen major improvements in education, health and infrastructure. Manufacturing has also grown over the years and so has the financial sector where the town centre has become home to many national and some foreign banks. The town of Sheikh Maltoon has developed on the outskirts of Mardan city where the population is growing rapidly.
Industries include a well-established Sugar Mill "The Premier Sugar Mill" (once the largest in Asia), situated in Mardan and the Pakistan Railways Locomotive Factory, which is located near Mardan. Some small sector industries of GUR (unrefined sugar),Tobbaco(generally in the valley of Katti Garhi and their prodeucers are Mr. Ghulam Bacha, dilbar shah, ghazan khan and Ajmeer Khan {Primary School Teacher in association with TATA Componey)} chips, soaps, marble, bricks are also present.
Mardan district may broadly be divided into two parts, North-Eastern hilly area and south western plain. The entire Northern side of the district is bounded by the 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 southwestern half of the district is mostly composed of fertile plain with low hills strewn across it. This plain once formed the bed of a lake, which was gradually filled up by the load of the river flowing into from the surrounding hills. From the foothills the plain runs down at first with a steep slope, which carried the rainwater 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. Which includes a river passing through the vally of Katti Garhi (Chota Kalaam) named by Mr. Tahir Naqash in 1997. This stream waters the maximum cultivation land of the valley which help in agriculture products. Kalpani, an important stream of the district rises in the Baizai and flowing southwards joins Kabul River. Other important streams join Kalpani, such as Baghiari Khawar on the west and Maqam 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 occurs from May to June, and July, August and September record high temperatures. During May and June dust storms are frequent at night. The temperature reaches its maximum in the month of June i.e. 41.5 °C. Due to intensive cultivation and artificial irrigation, the area is humid. A rapid fall of temperature occurs from October onwards. The coldest months are December and January. The mean minimum temperature recorded for the month of January is 2.1 °C.
Most of the rainfall occurs in the months of July, August, December and January. Maximum rainfall for August is 125.85 mm. Towards the end of cold weather there are occasional thunderstorms and hail storms. The relative humidity is quite high throughout the year while maximum humidity has been recorded in December at 73.33%.
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, eamelthorl and pohli chaulai etc.
The district has a variety of fauna, including the leopard, leopard cat, black bear, brown monkey, jackal, wild goat, and pheasant.
The most common food is bread, which is made of wheat or maize flour. Popular foods are beef cooked as chapli kabab, seekh kabab, and tikkas, and qahwa (green tea).
There is significant difference in dress of common people and educated and upper classes. The upper class people are inclined to western dress. The middle and lower classes are generally wearing typical pathan dress, the old loose coat or khalqa has been replaced by the less cumbersome qamiz with blanket and coarse chader during winter season around the body. Among the villagers use of mazari cloth is common for qamiz and shalwar. A chitrali woolen cap is used in winter, while a typical light color cap is worn in the summer. Chapplies are the most common footwear. Shalwar qamiz and dopatta is the dress of women. Pardah is universal among women in a form of a printed coarse chadder or plain white chadder or burqa.
The use of ornaments among women is also common, such as earrings and bangles, and sometimes a quba, which consists of two egg-like cups connected by a chain or a flat circle of shaped gold hanging on the forehead.
The villages are divided into Kandis. The divisions of Kandis are on the pattern of agricultural lands. The houses generally consist of two or three rooms and a courtyard. Cattle and poultry are also accommodated beside the shelter.
Each Kandi of the village has its own mosque and a place of meeting or for public assembly called a Hujra. Most famous Hujra of the Village Katti Garhi is named as Utman Khel which is open for the travellers for 365 days of the year. In most cases it is the property of elders of the Kandi, who are expected to feed and give shelter to visitors. These Hujras are commonly used for the settlement of public disputes and business.
A tandoor (oven) for baking bread is present in many houses. Houses have compound walls around them with gates.
The Sayyeds, Mians and Sahibzadas enjoy special respect amongst the Pathans on account of their ancestry. The visit to shrines or ziarats is very common especially among the women.
Mardan is the considered as the headquarter of Yousafzai Pakhtoons ,They are well known for their bravery,valour and hospitality among all pakhtoon tribes. The Yousafzai Pathans are courteous towards each other, though a slight insult is resented and can result in violence, including blood feuds.
Religion has a great impact on the culture of people. 99.51% of the people are Sunni Muslims.
The main minorities are Ahmadiyya Muslims and Christians, who are 0.32 and 0.14 percent respectively. Hindus are 0.02 percent of the total population. The population of the rural and urban area is 99.69 and 98.81% Muslim respectively. The percentage of Christians and Ahmadiyya is greater in the urban area—0.62 and 0.46—as compared to the rural area—0.29 and 0.02 percent.
Festivals and fairs are a part of the Pathan life. The most important festivals are the two Eids. Apart from that, most of the youngster move towards the hills which are around the village of katti Garhi in the pleasent season of rain, there are weekly cattle fairs in all towns and important villages, at which cattle and other necessities of life are bought and sold.
The population of Mardan district has increased about four-fold since 1951. According to 1998 census it is 1.46 million compared to 357,000 in 1951, with an annual percentage increase of around 3%.
The total area of the district is 1632 square kilometers having population density of 894.7 persons per square kilometer in 1998.
The urban proportion of the district is 20.2% of the total population whereas the rural proportion is 79.8%. The largest urban area is Mardan Municipal Committee with a population of 239,000. The other urban areas are Takht Bhai Municipal Committee with a population of 49,000 and Mardan Cantonment with 7,000 inhabitants.
Pashto is the most common language at 98.44%. Urdu, Punjabi, Sindi, Balochi, Saraiki are spoken by 0.33, 0.49, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.03% respectively.
The literacy ratio of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 36.45 percent. It has increased by 20.5% points since 1981 when it was only 15.95 percent. The male literacy ratio is much higher at 53.50% compared to 18.38% for women.
The percentage of educated persons like literacy ratio is 36.03 percent of the population aged 10 years and above, 53.15% of men and 17% of women.
The nearest airport is Peshawar International Airport, about forty miles. Buses and private vehicles are the main means of transport. The roads are busy as Mardan is the link between different cities. The rail system which was developed during the British Empire has gradually disappeared.
2nd Largest Furniture Industry: Mardan also has the Largest furniture industry of NWFP and 2nd Largest in Pakistan [citation needed]
Paplars (Safaidar): Mardan is a producer of safaidar, its wood is exported to Afghanistan and used locally too its production was started in 1967. In Sawaldher there are 160 machines for cutting and slabbing of paplars. [citation needed].
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| Islamabad Capital Territory |
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| Punjab |
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| Sindh |
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| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
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| Balochistan |
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| Azad Kashmir |
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| Gilgit-Baltistan |
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*Federal capital **Provincial/Territorial capitals | |
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Populated places in Mardan District
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| Tehsils |
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| Union Councils of Rustam Tehsil |
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| Union Councils of Katlang Tehsil |
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| Union Councils of Takht Bhai Tehsil |
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| Union Councils of Mardan Tehsil |
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