Peshawar

Peshawar (Urdu: پشاور‎),(Pashto: پېښور‎) is the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Peshawar is the largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and by the 1998 census was the ninth-largest city of Pakistan. Peshawar is a metropolitan city and the administrative centre and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated in a large valley near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, close to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar is irrigated by various canals of the Kabul River and by its right tributary, the Bara River.

Peshawar's recorded history goes back as far as at least 539 BC, making it the oldest living city in Pakistan and one of the oldest in South Asia.

History

Ancient Peshawar

Peshawar was known in Sanskrit as Puruṣapura (पुरूषपुर), literally meaning "city of men". It also found mention in the Zend Avesta as Vaēkərəta, the seventh most beautiful place on earth created by Ahura Mazda It was known as the "crown jewel" of Bactria and also held sway over Takshashila (modern Taxila). Being among the most ancient cities of the region between Central and South Asia, Peshawar has for centuries been a center of trade between Bactria, South Asia and Central Asia. As an ancient center of learning, the 2nd century BC. Bakhshali Manuscript used in the Bakhshali approximation was found nearby.