Parachinar
Parachinar (پاړه چنار; ) is a small Pashtun (Turi and Bangash tribe) town which is the capital of Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Parachinar is situated on a neck of Pakistani territory west of Peshawar, that juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With a distance of 110 km from the Afghan capital Kabul, Parachinar is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul.
It is one of two urban areas in Kurram District, the other one being Sadda, and has shrunk considerably in population over the past few decades, becoming the least populous urbanized area in Kohat Division. Major tribes residing there are Turi, Bangash, Maqbal, Para Chamkini, Zazi and Mangal.
The British soldier and historian C. M. Enriquez described the early history of Parachinar in his book The Pathan Borderland. He writes that Malak (leader) Pare was a reputable Malak of the Para Chamkini tribe, who were Sunni Muslim and another tribe called Turi (Shia), planted poplar trees some 200 years ago. Before much settlement, the area was mostly arid. In terms of distribution, the ancient poplar tree and the surrounding land belonged to the Parakhel tribe. This ownership is still authentic in official records or deeds of property. Parakhel tribesmen used to cultivate wheat in this desert area. During the wheat harvest, tents were pitched here, and in the shade of this poplar tree, jirgas and consultations were held.
The name Parachinar is derived as a result of social meetings conducted under a large chinar tree. [3] The remains of that tree are still there at a place now encompassed by the headquarters of Kurram Agency. As this poplar tree was located right between the British established offices and the Kurram militia, and people from remote areas of the Kurram Valley often came and gathered here, it became known as Parachinar instead of Totkai Bazar.
Parachinar is situated on a neck of Pakistani territory west of Peshawar, that juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With a distance of 110 km from the Afghan capital Kabul, Parachinar is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul.
It is one of two urban areas in Kurram District, the other one being Sadda, and has shrunk considerably in population over the past few decades, becoming the least populous urbanized area in Kohat Division. Major tribes residing there are Turi, Bangash, Maqbal, Para Chamkini, Zazi and Mangal.
The British soldier and historian C. M. Enriquez described the early history of Parachinar in his book The Pathan Borderland. He writes that Malak (leader) Pare was a reputable Malak of the Para Chamkini tribe, who were Sunni Muslim and another tribe called Turi (Shia), planted poplar trees some 200 years ago. Before much settlement, the area was mostly arid. In terms of distribution, the ancient poplar tree and the surrounding land belonged to the Parakhel tribe. This ownership is still authentic in official records or deeds of property. Parakhel tribesmen used to cultivate wheat in this desert area. During the wheat harvest, tents were pitched here, and in the shade of this poplar tree, jirgas and consultations were held.
The name Parachinar is derived as a result of social meetings conducted under a large chinar tree. [3] The remains of that tree are still there at a place now encompassed by the headquarters of Kurram Agency. As this poplar tree was located right between the British established offices and the Kurram militia, and people from remote areas of the Kurram Valley often came and gathered here, it became known as Parachinar instead of Totkai Bazar.
Map - Parachinar
Map
Country - Pakistan
Flag of Pakistan |
Pakistan is the site of several ancient cultures, including the 8,500-year-old Neolithic site of Mehrgarh in Balochistan, the Indus Valley civilisation of the Bronze Age, the most extensive of the civilisations of the Afro-Eurasia, and the ancient Gandhara civilization. The region that comprises the modern state of Pakistan was the realm of multiple empires and dynasties, including the Achaemenid; briefly that of Alexander the Great; the Seleucid, the Maurya, the Kushan, the Gupta; the Umayyad Caliphate in its southern regions, the Hindu Shahis, the Ghaznavids, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, the Durranis, the Omani Empire, the Sikh Empire, British East India Company rule, and most recently, the British Indian Empire from 1858 to 1947.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
PKR | Pakistani rupee | ₨ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
EN | English language |
PA | Panjabi language |
PS | Pashto language |
SD | Sindhi language |
UR | Urdu |