Mardan

Mardan is located in a region rich in archaeological sites. In 1962, the Sanghao Caves were discovered outside of Mardan, which yielded artefacts from the Middle Paleolithic period,[5] over 30,000 years ago. Other sites in the immediate area have yielded evidence of human activity from the Upper Paleolithic period.[5] Further excavations from the area around Jamal Garhi near Mardan recovered artefacts from the Mesolithic period.[5]

The Edicts of Ashoka were carved on a massive boulder near Mardan around 250 BCE.

The Takht-i-Bahi complex near Mardan dates from the first century CE.

The area around Mardan then formed part of the homeland of the Gandhara grave culture around 1800 BCE. The Gandharan grave culture appears to have been a Central Asian group that may represent part of the Indo-Aryan invasion into the subcontinent.[6] Mardan then formed part of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara. Rock edicts of Ashoka in nearby Shahbaz Garhi date from the Mauryan period in the mid-200s BCE, and are written in the ancient Kharosthi script.[7]

The Seated Buddha, dating from 300 to 500 CE, was found near Mardan, and is now on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

The nearby UNECO World Heritage Site of Takht-i-Bahi was established as a monastery around 46 CE. The Bakhshali manuscript, which contains the earliest record of the use of the number 0 in the Indian subcontinent,[8] was found near Mardan in 1891, and dates from the 3rd or 4th century CE. The nearby Kashmir Smast caves served Buddhist hermit monks, and dates from the 4th to 9th century CE.

Guides Memorial

During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Mardan was not a scene of heavy fighting as many of the native troops had been disarmed by British forces.[9] Mardan's famous Guides' Memorial was established in 1892 to honour fallen soldiers who fought during the 1879 Siege of the British Residency in Kabul. The city's Women's Hospital was established in 1906.[10] In 1920, Mardan was visited by Sir Charles Monro, head of British armed forces in British India.[11] Until 1937, Mardan District was a part of Peshawar District, when it was elevated to the status of its own independent district.[12] During the Viceroy's visit in 1946, large numbers of Mardan residents travelled to Peshawar to participate in a Muslim League rally in favour of Pakistan's establishment.[13] The Mardan Museum was established in 1991 to showcase the region's rich ancient history.

Gulbahar Village Mardan

The population of Mardan city and cantonment, according to the 2017 census, is 358,604. Mardan is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe of Pashtuns. A significant number of Mohmand and Utmankhel tribe members have settled in the city over the years. The population of the city over the years is shown in the table below.[14][1]

According to 1998 census, the total number of households in Mardan were 29,116. The total population was 245,926 of which 52.56% (129,247) were male while 47.44% (116,679) were female. The average household size was 8.45 while the average annual growth rate between 1981 and 1998 was 3.03.[15]

There was no public or private sector university in Mardan till 2009. The first public sector university, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan was established in 2009.[16] In 2016, a public sector women university Women University Mardan[17][18] started functioning while in 2017, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar Mardan campus was upgraded to full-fledge university and named University of Engineering and Technology Madan.[19][20][21]

Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, which was established in 2010, is the city only medical college.[22] There is also a campus of University of Agriculture, Peshawar, which is named as Agriculture university Ameer Mohammad Khan Campus Mardan.[23]

There are also two Postgraduate colleges in Mardan, one each for boys and girls. Government Post Graduate College Mardan, which was established in 1952[24] while Government Post Graduate College for women Mardan was established in 1963.[25]

There are numerous public and private Schools and colleges for Boys and Girls in Mardan. Among them, the most renowned and famous is Fazal e Haq Mardan.[26]

Mardan is located in the south west of the district at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of 283 metres (928 ft).[27] Mardan is a district headquarter of Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Risalpur is located to the south, Charsadda is located to the west, Yar Hussain to the east and Takht Bahi & Katlang to the north. It is the 2nd largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[28][29][2] while 19th largest city of Pakistan.[15]

Mardan is part of a growing industrial centre,[31] and is home to textile and edible oil mills, as well as one of the largest sugar mills in South Asia.[31] An economic zone is planned as a part of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) near Rashakai. Although Rashakai is part of Nowshera District, its proximity with Mardan is expected to directly benefit the city[32][33]

In 2006, Mardan District government with the help of Government of Pakistan created a sports complex in Mardan city.[34] The complex, Mardan Sports Complex, has facilities for all major sports such as cricket, football, field hockey, swimming, and basketball. The swimming pool facility was built in 2011[35] while an international standard hockey turf was constructed at the sports complex at the cost Rs. 67.69 million in 2016.[36][37] Pakistan international football player Mansoor Khan is from Mardan.

• Mardan District
• Mardan Tehsil
• Baghdada
• Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan
• Women University Mardan
• Rustam Mardan
• Takht Bhai Mardan
• Katlang
• Garhi kapura

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mardan.

• mardan.com website