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| babe Khyber |
Peshawar
The city of traditions
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| hotel in city |
Peshawar is the famous and popular city in Pakistan. Peshawar is
the capital of province Khyber Pakhtoon Khuwan (whose
old name was NWFP). Peshawar is the administrative center and central economic
hub of Federally Administered Tribal area’s. It is located at Pak-Afghan border and population of 1,550,046.
Peshawar has a
geo-strategically important location and an enriched history. This city has
seen the rise and fall of many civilizations. It was once the center of
Gandhara civilization and has subsequently been ruled by Persians, Greeks,
Buddhists, Kushans, Afghans, Mughals, Sikhs and the British.
In
1998, the population of the district was 2,019,000, of which 49% were urban.
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| Qisa Khawani Bazar |
According
to the 1981 census results for Peshawar tehsil, Pashto was the first language
in 80% of households, Hindko – in 13%, Urdu – in 3.8% and Punjabi – in 3.3%. In
the 1998 census results for the district, Pashto was the fist language of 86%
of the population.
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| A Traditionally food Muton Tikka |
According
to 1897 records during British Raj, most people living in Peshawar valley were
Pathans and belonged to an agriculture community but there was also an
admixture of Punjabi community living in the valley religiously belonging to
both Islam and Hinduism. Most people in Peshawar city spoke and understood
Urdu. Elite belonging to small towns such as big feudal Khan families, traders
and almost all of Hindus also spoke Urdu. Persian was also spoken by elites of
Peshawar city and by traders from Kabul. Majority of the population of the
district especially the agriculturists and Pathans only spoke Pashto. 92% of
the total population of Peshawar valley practiced religion of Islam and
remainder 8% practiced Hinduism, Sikhism and other religions. People belonging
to these minority religions only lived in major cities such as Peshawar,
Charsadda (now in Charsadda District) and Hoti (now in Mardan District) and
mostly in cantonment areas of these cities. 97% of the population living in
rural towns practiced Islam
