Mardan

Land Distribution in Mardan – According to Sheikh Mali Baba’s Wesh (Tribal Land Division)

Before the arrival of the Yousafzai tribes, the lands of Mardan were inhabited by various communities including the Dilazak (a Pashtun tribe), Dehgan (non-Pashtun landlords), some Khattak families, and ancient Buddhist and Hindu civilisations.

The Yousafzai tribes migrated from Swat and Buner and took control of Mardan after defeating the earlier inhabitants. After this conquest, Sheikh Mali Baba, a respected tribal leader and reformer, introduced a system of land distribution known as Wesh.

According to the Wesh system, Mardan’s land was distributed equally among different sub-tribes of the Yousafzai who had migrated and settled the region. This system was designed to ensure fairness and prevent the rise of permanent landlords. Lands were periodically redistributed among families to maintain equality.

Main Yousafzai Tribes in Mardan (According to the Wesh)

Sheikh Mali Baba divided the land among the following main branches of the Yousafzai tribe:

1. Rakhte

2. Sadozai

3. Bazdar

4. Kamalzai

5. Amazai

6. Gehnderi

7. Gadar

8. Ishaqzai

9. Babozai

10. Khadakzai

Each tribe was allocated a specific area, and they lived in groups known as “khels”, such as Kamal Khel, Sado Khel, Bazdar Khel, etc.

The land distribution followed a rotation-based system (called Wesh or Gadar) to ensure no tribe or family permanently held more than their fair share. The purpose of this system was to promote justice and avoid conflicts.

Examples:

• Kamalzai tribe is still dominant in Mardan city and surrounding areas.

• Amazai are found in Mardan, Takht Bhai, and Buner.

• Bazdar is considered an old and influential tribe.

This Wesh system became a model of tribal justice and equality and is considered one of the earliest examples of organised land reform among Pashtuns.

⸻

Role of the Lodhi Tribe

The Lodhi tribe was not part of Sheikh Mali Baba’s Wesh and was not among the original tribal heirs of Mardan’s land.

Reasons:

1. Wesh by Sheikh Mali Baba:

• Conducted in the early 16th century.

• Only Yousafzai tribes who accepted Sheikh Mali’s leadership were included.

• Lodhis were not part of this tribal alliance.

2. Origins of the Lodhi Tribe:

• Lodhis belong to the Ghilzai Pashtun group, not the Yousafzai.

• Historically settled in regions like Multan, Delhi, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, and Khushab.

• Any Lodhi presence in Mardan is from later periods, due to migration, employment, trade, or politics—not the Wesh.

3. Present-day Lodhis in Mardan:

• May have settled through migration.

• Might have purchased land privately.

• Possibly adopted local identity over time.

4. Historical Evidence:

• There is no mention of the Lodhi tribe in Sheikh Mali Baba’s land division records (known as Daftar Sheikh Mali).

• Lodhi is not listed among the traditional khels (sub-tribes) of Mardan.

British Land Records

After Sheikh Mali Baba’s era, official land ownership records were created by the British administration in the late 1870s. Today, land ownership in Mardan is recognised based on these legal records. Whoever holds valid ownership documents is considered the lawful owner.

⸻

{{Historical populations

| title = Historical Population

| shading = off

| percentages = pagr

| align = left

| 1951 |48827

| 1961 |77932

| 1972 |115194

| 1981 |147977

| 1998 |245926

| 2017 |358604

| source = {{cite web |title=Table-1: Area & Population of Administrative Units By Rural/Urban: 1951-1998 Censuses |url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_census/Administrative%20Units.pdf |website=Administrative Units.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620191533/http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_census/Administrative%20Units.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2020 |url-status=live}}

|2023|368302}}

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,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qLTBAAAQBAJ&q=mardan&pg=PA317|title=Ancient Pakistan – An Archaeological History: Volume I: The Stone Age|last=Ahmed|first=Mukhtar|date=29 May 2014|publisher=Amazon|isbn=9781495490477|language=en}} over 30,000 years ago. Other sites in the immediate area have yielded evidence of human activity from the Upper Paleolithic period. Further excavations from the area around Jamal Garhi near Mardan recovered artefacts from the Mesolithic period.

File:Ashoka Rock Edicts Shahbazgarhi by Nisar2.JPG were carved on a massive boulder near Mardan around 250 BCE.]]

File:Takht Bhai Ruins (Mardan, KPK).jpg 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 migrations into the subcontinent.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/insearchofindoeu00jpma|title=In search of the Indo-Europeans : language, archaeology and myth|last=P.|first=Mallory, J.|date=1991 |publisher=Thames and Hudson|isbn=0500276161|location=London|oclc=24710469|url-access=registration}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1880/|title=Shahbazgarhi Rock Edicts – UNESCO World Heritage Centre|last=Centre|first=UNESCO World Heritage|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=10 February 2018}}

File:SFAAMBuddha.jpg in San Francisco.]]

The nearby UNESCO 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,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley/news/2017/sep-14|title=Bodleian Library {{!}} Carbon dating finds Bakhshali manuscript contains oldest recorded origins of the symbol 'zero'|publisher=University of Oxford|access-date=10 February 2018}} was found near Mardan in 1891, and dates from the third or fourth century CE. It is the oldest extant manuscript in Indian mathematics. The nearby Kashmir Smast caves served Buddhist hermit monks, and dates from the fourth to ninth century CE.

File:Guides Memorial, Mardan - panoramio (8).jpg

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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQGwgJnCPZgC&pg=PA117|title=A Brief History of Pakistan|last=Wynbrandt|first=James|date=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9780816061846|language=en}} 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.{{Cite news|url=http://mardan.com/zanana-hospital/|title=Zanana Hospital|work=Mardan|access-date=10 February 2018}} In 1920, Mardan was visited by Sir Charles Monro, head of British armed forces in British India.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gha-BAAAQBAJ&q=mardan+history+-%22ali%22&pg=PA361-IA2|title=History of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles: 1858 to 1928|last=Weekes|first=Colonel H. E.|date=19 December 2011|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781781493335|language=en}} Until 1937, Mardan District was a part of Peshawar District, when it was elevated to the status of its own independent district.[http://www.yespakistan.com/hdf/Mardan/Mardan.asp General Description Of The District Mardan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414235624/http://www.yespakistan.com/hdf/Mardan/Mardan.asp |date=14 April 2016 }} 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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3RCAAAAYAAJ&q=mardan|title=Pakistan Journal of History and Culture|date=2007|publisher=National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research|language=en}} The Mardan Museum was established in 1991 to showcase the region's rich ancient history.

In July 2020, life size statues of the Buddha was found during construction activity in the Mardan area. However, local Muslim civilians from the area took it on their own hands to destroy these findings. The culprits also posted their vandalism on social media, which resulted on their arrest by the Pakistani authorities. The findings are part of the ancient Indian Buddhist past of the area and related to the Gandhara Mahajanapada.{{cite web |url=https://nayadaur.tv/2020/07/4-arrested-for-destroying-ancient-buddha-statue-in-mardan/ |title = 4 Arrested For Destroying Ancient Buddha Statue In Mardan - Naya Daur| date=18 July 2020 }}

File:Mardan Gul Bahar village.jpg

Mardan is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe of Pashtuns with a significant number of Mohmand, Utmankhel, Tareen, and Khalil tribe members have settled in the city over the years.{{Cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y7aImvTNBWwC&q=mardan+district+tribes&pg=PT220 |title=Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion |last2=Tiedemann |first2=Katherine |date=2013-01-04 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-998677-4 |pages=220 |language=en}}{{cite web|title=Area & Population of Administrative Units By Rural/Urban: 1951–1998 Censuses (pdf)|url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_census/Administrative%20Units.pdf|website=pbs.gov.pk|publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=24 November 2017}}Commissioner Mardan - [https://commissionermardan.kp.gov.pk/page/history_of_mardan/page_type/message History of Mardan] The population of Mardan city over the years is shown in the table below.

According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, the city of Mardan had 368,302 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These inhabitants were spread out among

51,429 households, making the average household size in Mardan 7.89. Mardan experienced explosive growth throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, as the population of Mardan grew fivefold in just 50 years. The city's growth has, though, over time, slowed down by quite a bit, and between the years of 1998 and 2017, its population only grew at about 2% every year.

There was no public or private sector university in Mardan until 2009. The first public sector university, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan was established in 2009.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/625927|title=Wali Khan varsity's first convocation held|date=3 May 2011|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=16 December 2017}} In 2016, a public sector women university Women University Mardan{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1089800|title=Mardan to have women university|date=27 February 2014|newspaper=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=16 December 2017 }}{{Cite news|url=http://www.pakhtunkhwa.pk/content/cm-pervez-khattak-announces-women-university-mardan|title=CM Pervez Khattak announces Women University in Mardan|last=waqar|date=21 January 2015|work=Pakhtunkwa – Find News, Books, Poetry and Places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan|access-date=16 December 2017}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1444034/uet-mardan-campus-upgraded-university/|title=UET Mardan campus upgraded to a university – The Express Tribune|date=24 June 2017|work=The Express Tribune|access-date=16 December 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1543376/1-k-p-govt-plans-set-three-universities/|title=K-P govt plans to set up three universities – The Express Tribune|date=28 October 2017|work=The Express Tribune|access-date=16 December 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotnn.com/uet-mardan-campus-to-be-upgraded-into-full-fledge-varsity-atif/|title=UET Mardan campus to be upgraded into full fledge varsity, Atif|website=radiotnn.com|access-date=16 December 2017}}

Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, which was established in 2010, is the city's only medical college.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/RecognizedMedicalDentalColleges/tabid/109/Default.aspx|title=Recognized Medical Colleges in Pakistan|website=pmdc.org.pk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819060118/http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/RecognizedMedicalDentalColleges/tabid/109/Default.aspx|archive-date=19 August 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=16 December 2017}} There is also a campus of University of Agriculture, Peshawar, which is named as Agriculture university Ameer Mohammad Khan Campus Mardan.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/723005|title=NEWS IN BRIEF|date=1 June 2012|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=16 December 2017}}

There are also two Postgraduate colleges in Mardan, one for boys and girls each. Government Post Graduate College Mardan, which was established in 1952{{Cite web|url=http://www.admission.hed.gkp.pk/college.php?college_id=36|title=Government Post-Graduate College Mardan – Online College Admission System, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|website=admission.hed.gkp.pk|access-date=16 December 2017}} while Government Post Graduate College for Women Mardan was established in 1963.{{Cite web|url=http://www.admission.hed.gkp.pk/college.php?college_id=78|title=GOVT. Post Graduate College for women Mardan – Online College Admission System, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|website=admission.hed.gkp.pk|access-date=16 December 2017}}

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 College, Mardan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/11/08/khattak-says-will-revive-lost-fame-of-fazal-e-haq-college-mardan/|title=Khattak says will revive lost fame of Fazal e Haq College Mardan|website=Pakistan Today|access-date=19 May 2018}}

Mardan is located in the South-West of the district at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of {{convert|283|m|ft}}.[https://www.fallingrain.com/world/PK/03/Mardan.html Location of Mardan – Falling Rain Genomics] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20071025123453/http://www.fallingrain.com/world/PK/3/Mardan.html |date=2007-10-25}} 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 second largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/85183-26-killed-in-blast-outside-Nadra-office-in-Mardan|title=26 killed in blast outside Nadra office in Mardan|website=The News International|access-date=16 December 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/124098/mashal-khan-pakistan-blasphemy/|title=University Student the Latest Victim of Pakistan's 'Blasphemy' Vigilantism|last=Sarwar|first=Beena|website=thewire.in|access-date=16 December 2017}} while 19th largest city of Pakistan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/POPULATION%20SIZE%20AND%20GROWTH%20OF%20MAJOR%20CITIES.pdf |title=Population Size and Growth of Major Cities (pdf)|website=pbs.gov.pk |access-date=17 December 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030213107if_/http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/POPULATION%20SIZE%20AND%20GROWTH%20OF%20MAJOR%20CITIES.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2017 }}

With an influence from the local steppe climate, Mardan features a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature in Mardan is 22.2 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 559 mm. October is the driest month with an average rainfall of 12 mm, while the wettest month is August, with an average 122 mm of precipitation.

June is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 33.2 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 10.0 °C.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| location = Mardan

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 17.7

| Feb high C = 19.0

| Mar high C = 24.0

| Apr high C = 30.1

| May high C = 36.3

| Jun high C = 41.4

| Jul high C = 38.5

| Aug high C = 36.5

| Sep high C = 35.3

| Oct high C = 31.6

| Nov high C = 25.1

| Dec high C = 19.4

| Jan mean C = 10.0

| Feb mean C = 12.2

| Mar mean C = 17.2

| Apr mean C = 22.7

| May mean C = 28.2

| Jun mean C = 33.2

| Jul mean C = 32.3

| Aug mean C = 31.0

| Sep mean C = 28.8

| Oct mean C = 23.2

| Nov mean C = 16.2

| Dec mean C = 11.0

| Jan low C = 2.3

| Feb low C = 5.5

| Mar low C = 10.4

| Apr low C = 15.3

| May low C = 20.2

| Jun low C = 25.1

| Jul low C = 26.2

| Aug low C = 25.5

| Sep low C = 22.3

| Oct low C = 14.9

| Nov low C = 7.4

| Dec low C = 2.7

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 47

| Feb precipitation mm = 53

| Mar precipitation mm = 67

| Apr precipitation mm = 44

| May precipitation mm = 20

| Jun precipitation mm = 17

| Jul precipitation mm = 88

| Aug precipitation mm = 122

| Sep precipitation mm = 45

| Oct precipitation mm = 12

| Nov precipitation mm = 14

| Dec precipitation mm = 30

| source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/3490/|title = Climate: Mardan - Climate-Data.org|access-date = 20 November 2017}}

}}

Mardan is part of a growing industrial centre,{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mardan-Pakistan|title=Mardan {{!}} Pakistan|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=10 February 2018}} and is home to textile and edible oil mills, as well as one of the largest sugar mills in South Asia. 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.{{Cite web|url=http://cpec.gov.pk/project-details/53|title=Rashakai Economic Zone, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Official Website|website=cpec.gov.pk|access-date=16 December 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://rashakai.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809213006/http://rashakai.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=9 August 2017|title=Rashakai Economic Zone – Technology City}}

In 2006, Mardan District government with the help of Government of Pakistan created a sports complex in Mardan city.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/177816|title=Work on Mardan projects in progress|date=8 February 2006|work=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=18 December 2017}} 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{{Cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/832973/still-afloat-swimming-pool-in-mardan-takes-no-divers/|title=Still afloat: Swimming pool in Mardan takes no divers – The Express Tribune|date=5 February 2015|work=The Express Tribune|access-date=18 December 2017}} while an international standard hockey turf was constructed at the sports complex at the cost Rs. 67.69 million in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/134288-KP-govt-enlists-steps-taken-for-promotion-of-sports|title=KP govt enlists steps taken for promotion of sports|website=The News International|access-date=18 December 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://nation.com.pk/06-Oct-2016/imran-inaugurates-hayatabad-sports-complex|title=Imran inaugurates Hayatabad Sports Complex|work=The Nation|access-date=18 December 2017}}

• List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population
• Mardan Division
• Mardan District
• Mardan Tehsil

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mardan}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20190122141121/http://mardan.com/ mardan.com website]

{{Largest cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}

{{PakistanCities}}

{{Mardan-Union-Councils}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Mardan District

Category:Cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa