Valley of Peshawar

The Valley of Peshawar (Pashto: د لوی پېښور وادي; Urdu: وادئ پشاور) is a broad area situated in the central part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The valley is 7,176 km² (2,771 sq mi) in area, and is traversed by the Kabul River. It has a mean elevation of 345 metres (1,132 ft).^[1] The valley takes its name from the city of Peshawar, which is situated at the western part of the valley close to Warsak Dam. To the west of the valley lies the Khyber Pass. The five most populous cities in the valley are Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, and Nowshera.

Peshawar valley seen from Ranigat.

Districts located in the valley

These districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are completely located in the Valley of Peshawar:

• Charsadda District (population: 1,616,198)^[2]
• Mardan District (population: 2,373,061)
• Peshawar District (population: 4,269,079)

In addition, most of Nowshera District, most of Swabi District, and smaller portions of Khyber (including Jamrud), Mohmand, Malakand, and Frontier Region Peshawar are also located in the Valley of Peshawar.

Historic references

In 630 CE, Xuanzang visited the Valley of Peshawar, and mentioned two stupas built by Ashoka, one of them around (20 li) 6.4 km northeast of (Pa-lu-sha) Sahri Bahlol, which he said was located on "Mount Tan-to-lo-ka," Takht-i-Bāhi hill.^[3][4]